Legislators Question University’s Fees Structure and Call for Amendments
Members of Parliament have raised concerns regarding the fees being charged to over 140,000 students set to join universities in September.
The National Assembly Education Committee highlighted the lack of transparency in the universities’ fee structures, as they only provide the total amount without specifying the contributions from the government and parents.
The legislators stated that the admission letters, issued under the new university funding model, mislead parents about the actual costs.
Concerns Over Admission Letters
The MPs insisted that the admission letters should be revised to include a detailed breakdown of the fees.
Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo noted that some parents, upon seeing the quoted fees, found them unaffordable, leading them to consider alternative options such as police recruitment or military enlistment for their children.
Introduction of the New Funding Model
Introduced in September, the new funding model aims to provide financial support to government-sponsored students based on their financial need.
The model classifies students into five bands, reflecting their financial abilities, from the most needy to the least needy.
However, the MPs criticized this classification method, calling it unreliable and vulnerable.
Issues with the Means Testing Instrument
The Ministry of Education uses a Means Testing Instrument (MTI) to evaluate a student’s ability to pay fees, considering factors such as parental income, medical expenses, school attended, poverty index, and motor vehicle ownership.
Despite this, MPs argued that these parameters fail to accurately represent a student’s financial background.
Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara mentioned that during a university visit, an institution demonstrated that the MTI was flawed.
Lugari legislator Nabii Nabwera added that some students placed in higher fee bands could not even afford their secondary school fees, accumulating debts of over 200,000 shillings.
Data presented to the committee revealed that 9,726 students, identified for government funding in last year’s placement, appealed for a review of their status.
Of these, 4,087 were successful while 5,639 had their appeals rejected. Marakwet West MP Timothy Kipchumba questioned if the model was implemented hastily, noting that students are being advised to choose courses their parents can afford rather than those they qualify for.
Calls for Improvement and Response from the Ministry
The legislators urged the ministry to address the model’s challenges and consider reverting to the previous Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) system.
However, Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatric Inyangala defended the model, acknowledging the existing gaps and the need for improvement.
She stated that the ministry is analyzing the first year of implementation and will consider feedback for future enhancements.
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Committee chairman Julius Melly asked the ministry to respond within two weeks with details on how they plan to address the shortcomings.
The legislators are seeking a clear plan to ensure the new funding model is effective and transparent for all stakeholders.
Legislators Question University’s Fees Structure and Call for Amendments
