Tips on how to make bursary reforms  success

Finally, Kenya has accepted that the bursary system is broken and needs a drastic overhaul. This is long overdue. This column has previously called for changes.

The key problem is that despite billions of shillings being available in bursaries across various levels, poor children are still being sent home for lack of school fees. Yet, others are unable to join the school because they cannot get anybody to pay their fees.

The strangest thing is that bursaries in Kenya are being dished out by governors, and MPs through the Constituency Development Fund, the national government, a host of private foundations, NGOs, and individuals.

Amazingly, this money runs into tens of billions! Despite this, poor children are still struggling to get money to pay for their education. It is a good thing the country has finally come to this realisation, and the government and Parliament seem to have accepted that drastic reform is required.

However, there seems to be undue pressure to rush this exercise. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula is already running ahead of himself and has instructed the Office of the Clerk to craft a legislative proposal to establish a defined structure for the administration of public bursaries and scholarships.

The problem is Kenya is being treated to yet another knee-jerk response to a very critical matter. This will likely result in more heartache down the road, as it will have major challenges due to being rushed.

The ground now is very ready for a comprehensive and all-encompassing process that addresses bursaries in Kenya for posterity. The government should bring together all stakeholders to deliberate and work with experts on this issue. This is the way education matters have been prosecuted in Kenya for the most appropriate results.

This column has examined the issue and will lay out what is required to make this exercise a success, suggesting a process that will be efficacious, efficient and work for everybody. The key tenets of such a process are outlined below.

Ensure complete transparency in bursary awards. Who are the recipients, how much was awarded, and their schools. The current system has zero oversight and is subject to complete abuse.

Urgently create a database into which details of all bursary recipients, whether from the public coffers or private sources, are uploaded in real-time.  A national tracker for bursaries in Kenya is long overdue. Currently, the country has no clue what is happening to bursaries.

Establish a national register that should be updated every bursary season. This register should be audited every year by the Auditor General to determine recipients, amounts, and whether they were “deserving”.

Politicians should be removed from the management of bursaries. Instead of achieving universal access to education, bursaries have become a tool for political manipulation and buying political support.

More resources need to be expended on means testing. This is because it is clear that due to political manipulation and corrupt practices, undeserving parents are gaming the system to get a free ride. This, of necessity, knocks out those who really deserve to get bursaries and scholarships.

Bursaries should be sent directly to schools, and awards published on a public platform. Parents should simply receive a notification on their phones.

To re-boot the system, a major audit must be undertaken of all the bursaries awarded by the national and county governments, and CDF in the last five years.

The audit should unearth who received the bursaries, whether the money was actually disbursed, and whether the stated bursary amounts were awarded. Without this information, any attempts at reform will be like shooting in the dark.

Finally, it is clear that the government is struggling with crafting the best system for university student financing. It has revised the system two times in two years. Again, the problem lies in knee-jerk responses to critical and very difficult issues. This urge to rush into solutions needs to be avoided. Use experts, and undertake wide public participation for awareness and buy-in.

— gathukara@gmail.com