Proposal to fund all students laudable
By Editorial.Team, March 12, 2024Students wishing to pursue higher education will now have a free hand to join either a public or private universities of choice with guaranteed funding by the government.
The proposal sets aside the government’s plans to give the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) board the mandate to allocate places for students in public and private universities.
Last year, the government discarded the funding of students who opt to join private universities after introducing a new funding model.
However, last week, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah withdrew proposed amendments on the Universities Act of 2012. The bill sought to amend Section 56 (1) (a) of the Act to provide that “the placement board shall be responsible for placing all students, rather than only government-sponsored students, in universities and colleges.”
Ichung’wah argued that various stakeholders had raised concerns regarding the proposed amendment to necessitate further consultations and engagement within the sector.”
The House Public Investments Committee on Education is currently considering a related matter on the funding of university education. Ichung’wah, however, said the Education Committee would now take up the matter.
The section which the government wanted to amend stated that the functions of the KUCCPS board shall be to co-ordinate the placement of the government-sponsored students to universities and colleges.
The proposal was meant to allow KUCCPS the responsibility to coordinate the placement for the sake of standardisation and quality control of the courses offered and the qualification of students.
We agree with the Leader of Majority that giving KUCCPS the responsibility to place students in public and private universities would have denied private universities the capitation they receive from the State-sponsored students.
The suggestion had rattled private universities who faulted the government’s proposal and called for fair distribution of funds.
Secretary-General of the Kenya National Association of Private Universities Vincent Gaitho had termed the proposal discriminatory and punitive to learners in private universities.
Our position is that no learner should be denied education in fields of choice due to discriminatory laws or policies.