The Elimu Bora Working Group has called for the disbandment of a 129-member committee appointed to review the new university funding model.
In a statement issued Sunday, the group urged the Ministry of Education to immediately revert to the previous university funding model, arguing that the new system has locked out hundreds of thousands of students from accessing higher education.
“The Ministry of Education should revert to the old university funding model, allowing hundreds of thousands of students, locked out of education, to resume their studies. Our students should not be subjected to experimental policies that jeopardize their education,” the statement read.
“We don’t need a committee to confirm that the new university funding model is terrible and hurts our children. We have seen its devastating effects right before our eyes.”
According to the group, nearly 600,000 eligible students skipped university placement in 2023, with over 23,000 meeting university entry requirements but choosing not to apply because the model made education unaffordable.
The group further pointed out that thousands of diploma and certificate students were also unable to pursue their education due to the funding system’s rigid structure.
The lobby added that 136,592 students eligible for diploma courses and 249,149 qualified for certificate programs could not continue their education because of the unaffordable funding bands in which they were placed.
President William Ruto, on September 16, appointed a national working committee to review the new funding model and recommend improvements.
The committee is expected to assess the efficacy of the funding recategorization appeals mechanism, analyze the cost of university programs, and review the student loan structure, among other issues.
