Private colleges urge govt to extend HELB to TVET and diploma students

Uwezo college director, Felix Kyengo gives a keynote address during the institution's fifth graduation ceremony in Machakos town. [Erastus Mulwa/Standard

Private colleges and vocational training institutions have urged the Government to review the policy in the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to ensure students pursuing various courses benefit from State sponsorship.

The Kenya National Association of Private Colleges (KNAPCO) Lower Eastern chapter coordinator, Peter Ndeleva says the absence of government tuition fees subsidy for students in private colleges was denying hundreds of thousands of deserving students the opportunity to access higher education like their counterparts pursuing university degrees.

Speaking in Machakos town during the fifth graduation ceremony of Uwezo College, Ndeleva noted that private colleges and TVETs were instrumental in driving the country's economy through the training of qualified technical manpower, and should therefore be accorded government support as they continue fulfilling such an obligation.

"As members of KNAPCO, we are championing for financial subsidies from the government, just like it happens in the universities to ensure that our students pursuing diplomas and certificates can access HELB," said Ndeleva.

His sentiments were echoed by the director of Uwezo College, Felix Kyengo, who pointed out that failure to consider students in private colleges in government scholarships and subsidies was discriminatory.

"The high rate of students' dropouts in private colleges is associated with the inability to pay school fees. It is common knowledge that our students do not have access to Helb loans or scholarships as they are presumed financially capable of financing their studies," said Kyengo.

He went on, "This misconception is discriminatory as there are no public and private students. All are Kenyans. The truth is that there are not enough vacancies in all public colleges to absorb the over 900,000 students who complete form four every year."

Kyengo noted that private colleges across the country play an important role in complementing the government policy of 100 per cent transition. "Our view is that although funding of Helb is limited, our students should have the same rights as those in public colleges to access whatever funding is available without being left out," he said.

Some 200 students were awarded diplomas and certificates in various fields after successfully passing in examinations administered by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) and National Industrial Training Agency (NITA).