Universities to Hike Tuition Fees Under Proposed Reforms as KUCCPS Delays Student Placements to Universities
Universities to Hike Tuition Fees Under Proposed Reforms as KUCCPS Delays Student Placements to Universities. As of this academic year, tuition costs at Kenya’s public universities will vary depending on the institution the student attends. The country’s higher education institutions are now experiencing a funding problem, which the new model is intended to alleviate.
When placing candidates who passed the KCSE exam in 2022, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will put the model into practice.
Universities will be forced to publish their tuition expenses in advance for each program so that students can choose programs with an understanding of the costs involved.
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reform has completed its interim report, and a comprehensive report is anticipated in approximately a month. Although the precise amount has not yet been determined, the team has recommended sweeping changes to how higher education is funded, including an increase in university tuition fees.
Currently, the government covers 48% of a program’s cost while the student is responsible for the remaining 20%. The government will offer uniform capitation under the new approach, and families will be liable for making up the shortfall.
This strategy is intended to fill the funding deficit caused by the fact that student tuition fees have been KES 16,000 per year for more than 30 years.
The vice chancellors of public universities’ suggestion to the education reforms team to implement variable tuition fees is in line with this idea. They recommended that students pay between KES 24,000 to KES 52,000 as their fee.
The Universities Fund estimates that the cost of a bachelor’s degree in dentistry is KES 720,000, whereas the cost of a bachelor’s degree in the arts is KES 144,000. Tuition rates at universities may be greater than those reported by UF.
The price of employing lecturers, purchasing tools, running labs, and purchasing learning materials all go into determining the price of a program. Depending on where the colleges are located, students may have to pay more for living costs like housing and food.
City dwellers who attend school in places like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru must pay more. Computer use, textbooks, and stationery are additional charges.
The Universities Fund will invest KES 48 million in a biometric system for student registration to ensure accuracy. Students’ progress will be monitored by the universities, and those who repeat units will have to cover the costs on their own without assistance from the government.
In general, the new variable tuition fee structure is intended to address Kenya’s public universities’ budget crisis. Families will now be responsible for covering the difference between the government’s universal capitation and the actual tuition costs, as students will now pay various amounts depending on the university they attend.
The cost of recruiting lecturers, purchasing lab space, equipment, and instructional materials, among other things, will affect how much academic programs cost. The biometric student registration method will guarantee precision in monitoring financial records and academic progress.