The government dealt a blow to 70,088 learners who obtained a C+ in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
This came after the University Fund indicated that the state did not have enough cash to sponsor all qualified undergraduate degree candidates.
During the Universities Financing Conference in Mombasa on Saturday, February 25, University Fund Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Geoffrey Monari announced the method the state will employ to support university students.
“We are not going to tie placement on the amount of money available in the state coffers.
“Placement will continue, meaning everyone who scored C+ and above will get university placement through Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS),” Monari revealed.
Monari added that while everyone will get university placement, that will not directly translate to university funding as it has been in the past.
“We are going to fund based on the available funds,” the CEO remarked.
Students who scored C+ and above will now be required to make fresh applications through the KUCCPS portal to be considered for State funding.
If not successful but decide to accept their placements, the students will now be required to foot their university education.
Earlier, during the conference, Monari had proposed that university funding be pegged on merit, the level of need, national priorities and affirmative action.
With the government proposed criteria, 30,088 out of 70,088 students who scored C+ will miss out on university funding.
The students who will miss out on government sponsorship will have to pay Ksh48,000 per semester for their undergraduate degree courses as proposed by President William Ruto’s task force on Education.
The amount is also bound to increase after Vice Chancellors during the conference resolved to have individual universities determine school fees instead of being decided by the Ministry of Education.
This was among a raft of measures that were adopted in a bid to help debt-ridden universities raise cash.
Other measures included; universities leasing out spaces and setting up businesses on idle land and introducing short professional courses.
