•Machogu kicked up a storm last week when he announced the state would stop funding the institutions. How would they survive?
•He has since clarified the state is pumping Sh50 billion into the institutions to try to resuscitate them.
Image: FILE
Public universities are ever in the news for the wrong reasons. If they aren’t paralysed by striking lecturers demanding better pay, they are mired in a financial crisis.
The universities are broke. Their combined debts hit Sh56.1bn as of June 2022.
The new Education CS Ezekiel Machogu kicked up a storm last week when he announced the state would stop funding the institutions. How would they survive?
Machogu has since clarified the state is pumping Sh50 billion into the institutions to try to resuscitate them.
University bosses have on their part been burning the midnight oil to come up with ways to end the sustainability crisis that has dogged them for over three decades.
“State varsities plan to reverse C+ entry grade”. That is the Star splash for Thursday.
Vice-chancellors have presented a proposal to the government to peg the direct admission on the available government budget. Not every student who scores a C+ should get automatic government sponsorship, as is the case now.
The entry mark will be revised based on the number of students the government budget can support while at the same time raising tuition fees for state-sponsored students.
State-sponsored students pay a flat rate of Sh16,000 per year, but universities want this raised to Sh24,000.
“Universities will then admit applicants who score lower grades through the module two or parallel programme,” the Star reports. That way, they will get revenue from student fees.
This is a big national issue. University students and unions have always protested every time anyone proposed a fee increment. The Sh16,000 fee was introduced in the late 1980s.
It is unrealistic, considering the massive rise in the cost of living over the years. The rapid expansion of university education and growth in student numbers means the state cannot cover the cost for every student.
The VCs’ proposal adds to the national debate on how to sustainably fund university education while improving the quality of learning and getting value for state investment in these institutions.
The fact of the matter is that there are many parents who can comfortably pay higher fees for their children in public universities. State funding should be targeted at those who can’t.
If patients pay user fees in public hospitals and Kenyans pay for other government services, what sense does it make to retain university fees at 1980s levels?