PRESIDENT RUTO: 134,000 STUDENTS APPLIED FOR FUNDING, 26K APPEALED
President William Ruto announced the opening of a chance for students, or even parents who had been placed in the wrong funding bands, to appeal.
“If you’ve been placed in a band that you do not belong to, there is a chance for an appeal,” President Ruto said. He added, “We are conscious that errors may always arise, especially during data entry, in the system.”
Ruto disclosed that of the 134,000 students who had applied for funding, 26,000 had already appealed for better band placements. “Those who have appealed will receive feedback within two weeks,” he assured.
“Every student or parent who appealed the banding in the new funding model gets their responses, provided they submitted the correct information and updated their details in the portal.”
He reaffirmed that errors could indeed occur in the entry of data. “Sometimes mistakes might have been made during the keying in of information in the cyber,” Ruto explained.
The new university funding model places students under five bands, says Ruto. This new model replaced the previous DUC system, which placed students in four bands. “In the current model, we have added one band to make them five,” he noted. The President explained that the move was meant to enhance funding.
The new model was presented on 3rd May and is focused on getting every eligible student sufficient financial provision for his education.
“The model enhances access to quality higher learning and provides for support to be equal on a needs basis.” Ruto further added that the new model also wishes to give a solution to the public universities and Technical Training institutions that currently face high enrolment and poor funding.
He indicated that the model will also ensure timely disbursement of funds through educational institutions, separating student placement from funding.
“Universities and TVET institutions will no longer receive block funding,” he added. In its place will be funding through scholarships, loans, and household contributions.
