President William Ruto on Monday appointed a technical team that will review the new university funding model that has been the subject of criticism after many students felt left out by the model leading to demonstrations.
Ruto while making the announcements, directed that the team will be headed by Professor Japheth Ntiba and is expected to review the fees and banding category issues under the new model.
The new appointees include both representatives of university students associations and educational professionals with diverse backgrounds.
The Head of State directed the establishment of the National Working Committee on Review of the new university education funding model via a gazette notice.
He announced that the four workstreams will be divided into sections that include the workstream on the Review and Refinement of the New Funding Model for Universities and Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETs).
The other workstreams are those of the appeals arising from the categorization of students into various eligibility bands for allocation of Scholarships and Loans, that of Structure of Student Loans, and that on the review of the cost of University Academic Programmes.
The four teams announced by President Ruto are set to be headed by two co chairs under each category.
He further directed that the chairpersons and co-chairpersons of the Workstreams will constitute the coordination Board of the Committee for the new university education funding model.
The first team on the Review and Refinement of the New Funding Model for Universities and Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETs) will be headed by Karuti Kanyinga and Dibora Zainab Hirbo.
While the workstream on appeals arising from the categorization of students into various eligibility bands for allocation of scholarships and loans will be headed by Walubengo Waningilo and Lucy Machugu who will serve as co chairs.
The workstream on Structure of Student Loans will be headed by Robert Oduor Otieno and Aron Kiprotich Bett, while that on the Review of the Cost of University Academic Programmes will be headed by Mohamed S. Rajab and Patrick Malanga.
The New University Funding Model was a product of a team appointed by Ruto to relook into Kenya’s education system and recommend the necessary reforms within the sector aimed at revitalizing in particular the financing of higher education in the country.
