Government defends higher education funding model

The Government has said that the new higher education funding model aims to alleviate Kenyans' suffering and transform the country's education state.

The Office of the Government Spokesman said the new funding model aims to achieve this by integrating multiple approaches to ensure equitable access to higher education while also maintaining financial sustainability.

The Deputy Government Spokesman Gabriel Muthuma in a statement to Media houses noted that the previous system was unsustainable, leading to challenges with service payments and decreased lecturer attendance in most public universities.

“It is worth noting that when President William Ruto took office he inherited Sh60 billion debt which also affected the funding of universities, causing significant struggles within universities and compromising the quality of education,” said Muthuma.

He said that the model seeks to provide equitable access to quality higher education by ensuring that all eligible students receive sufficient financial support tailored to their needs and that all eligible students receive appropriate financial support based on their needs.

Muthuma explained that the government introduced the New Higher Education Funding Model (NFM) to address these challenges and that it employs the Means Testing Instrument to assess student needs fairly, categorizing them into five distinct funding tiers.

He said that the Means Testing Instrument will assess needs based on factors such as parental background, disability status, family size, gender, marginalization, educational expenses, course type, and previous school type.

“The model has increased the education budget and seeks to clarify the costs and benefits of the new funding structure, as the president stated, why is a rich person's child given an 80 per cent scholarship, just like a poor Kenyan child this new model aims to address this,” said Muthuma.

He noted that placement and funding have been separated with Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service will now place students based on their choices and qualifications, while financial aid will be managed independently.

Muthuma said that the new funding model introduces several changes to fund management, aiming to make education more accessible and equitable for all applicants in Kenya with funding also done based on the actual cost of the university program.

He said the new model will ensure that programs requiring more resources are receiving more funds and getting enough support making education more accessible with government funding ratios have also been updated, from fixed funding to the new model balances.

 “While previous funding sources were limited, the new system includes additional revenue from student fees, research grants, infrastructure grants, and consultancy services, offering universities greater financial stability and growth opportunities,” said Muthuma.

Muthuma said the New Higher Education Funding Model will continue to evolve during its first year of implementation, demonstrating the government's commitment to education as a crucial tool for equality.