Anxiety as varsities placement faces delay

Questions linger whether the government will open applications to universities this week for over 246,000 candidates who sat 2024 KCSE, amid a court battle over the higher education funding model.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba promised the candidates that the portal would be open this week, but government sources told The Standard it is not clear whether the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) woule open the portal, yet.

Last week, KUCCPS said they had already collected necessary data and ready to open the portal. An appeal lodged by the Ministry of Education on the university funding model, will be heard today, even as growing uncertainty on courses application process throws the admissions process into quandary.

The move comes after a prolonged three-month delay after the release of KCSE results, and will coincide with a hearing of a court case challenging the outlawed new funding model.

The court found the model unconstitutional and illegal, effectively throwing the government's plan for university funding into disarray.

The case hearing today comes after the court served the first blow to the Ministry in its quest to stay the judgement that termed the new funding model illegal and unconstitutional.

The case has left the government at a crossroads, raising questions about how students will be selected and placed in universities this year.

However, despite the outcome of the case, Ogamba last week announced that the government will open the portal for university applications by the end of March.

The CS assured that all candidates who have qualified for a university spot will be factored in the current placement.

Ogamba also noted that the court case challenging the new funding model did not give proper direction on how new students will be handled.

"We agreed that by the end of this month, the portal would be open for university students. We are now working on what should happen next and addressing related issues," Ogamba said while appearing before the National Assembly committee on Education.

Even as the government plans to open the course selection portal, the process remains tied to the contested funding model, creating anxiety among students, parents, and institutions.

The uncertainty surrounding funding remains a pressing concern with the students set to join university in September.

With admissions set for later this year, the next five months are critical in determining how new students will pay for their education.

Universities are also facing budgetary uncertainty, as they rely heavily on government capitation and student fees for their operations.

On Tuesday, the University and academic staff union (UASU) warned that lack of student funding affects the entire university eco-system and operations.

UASU organising secretary Onesmus Mutio said lack of government funding could see the institutions struggle to pay staff salaries, bills and honour other obligations.

"The universities are already in a dire situation and extended under funding will be detrimental to the operations and could see more cases like that of Moi University or Technical University of Kenya," Mutio told The Standard.

The new funding model, which the court overturned, was designed to allocate financial aid based on students' financial need rather than the previous system of uniform state funding for all university students.

The universities were also given the autonomy to set their own tuition fees, leading to significant variations in pricing.

The 2024 KCSE cohort would be the third group under the now-nullified funding model, which allocated financial support based on students' financial need.