Education ministry revokes fees for first-year students

The Ministry of Education has revoked previously issued fee structures for first-year students placed in universities by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

This decision applies to students set to join public universities this September when the 2023/2024 academic year begins.

In a statement, the Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala, asked parents and guardians to disregard these prior communications.

"Any fee information previously communicated by universities in admission letters is now null and void," the statement reads.

The decision is part of recommendations by Members of Parliament, who in June recommended all universities to recall admission letters issued to students joining the university this year to correct the fee figures. 

This would allow the universities to indicate the fees expected at the household level and that which would be paid under financial aid.

MPs faulted the ministry for issuing the letters with huge amounts that discourage students from taking up the courses. 

The huge fees figures, MPs argued, had caused uncertainty among students from low-income households.

However, the students will now know the amount they will pay on August 5, 2024 when the new fee structure will be introduced.

Universities will directly communicate the revised fees at that time.

Inyangala further assured students that their placements in specific academic programs remain secure.

This means their university admissions and placement to various courses are unaffected by the fees changes.

The move on recalling the letters was made so as to give room for amendment of the amounts displayed on the calling letters to ensure fee amounts were allocated based on the set classifications.

To do so, the Ministry of Education will further be required to complete the assessment of each students financial need to determine the financial assistance they will give them.

The students will be the second cohort to be admitted under the new universities funding model.

Under the model, the students are classified in five categories that are referred to as bands.

Band one represents the neediest while Band Five represents students from high income households.

The new model of funding of higher education was placed under scrutiny with the legislators in June when they called for its nullification questioning the criteria used by the university education funding to place students in different bands for the issuance of scholarships and loans.

“Did we as a country rush into this new funding model? Many students of peasant farmers are claiming that the Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) model is working better than the current new funding model,” Marakwet MP Timothy Toroitich said.

“There has been a scenario where students don’t apply for university courses they prefer to apply for Kenya medical programmes, what are you doing about this?” he posed.

The new model now prioritises a student's financial needs and separates placement from funding. The cost of the course taken is taken into consideration and this has resulted in universities issuing admission letters with the entire cost of the course. This MP's content has led to students dropping courses on account of the cost.