Private universities in Kenya have proposed that students in both public and private universities be supported through inclusive loan products covering tuition fees, books and upkeep.
The institutions have also proposed significant policy and legal reforms to the university funding model, calling for the establishment of a state agency to oversee student financing, and key agencies merged to form the National Students Financial Aid Corporation (NSFAC).
Through their umbrella body, the National Association of Private Universities in Kenya (NAPUK), the universities support the recent cabinet policy that recommended merging of Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board into a single, professionalized body with the mandate; however, they are recommending the new agency that will be formed should fund both study and research.
NAPUK chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu in a recent letter to Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has called on the government to rethink the whole question of funding of higher education, proposing that the model should depart from a social-welfare orientation and move towards greater sustainability by funding students through loans that would be recoverable in future.
“The focus of the government should be on promoting access by reducing the financial burden on the students and the parents, while also ensuring that it retains the ability to provide the same kind of support for the students seeking opportunities in the future,” said Prof Gicharu.
According to Prof. Gicharu, the approach may be complemented with a level of performance- based scholarship grants, only to such a limit as the government can afford in any given financial year but hinged on highly prioritized government programs which are not necessarily market driven.
YOU MAY ALSO READ:
Beyond this, he added that other students, whether in public or private universities, can be supported through appropriate and inclusive loan products focused on tuition fees, books and upkeep. To this end, NAPUK has proposed the establishment of a funding body which they noted should be given a legal capacity that supports its sustainability.
The association has now called on the government in partnership with stakeholders to explore the opportunities for creating an enabling legal and policy environment to facilitate private sector players to competitively enter the tertiary education funding market to not only promote access to higher education, but also ease overburdening of the exchequer which they said has worked in other countries.
By James Wakahiu.
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
