The government has raised concerns that over 30,000 vacancies for the recently announced scholarships may not be filled.
According to the newly appointed Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) CEO Mercy Wahome, most students prefer university slots hence opt-out of the tertiary college opportunities offered by the state.
Recently, the government had announced that 36,000 slots were available in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in the country for students who scored any grade level in KCSE.
KUCCPS fears that only 6,000 applicants may apply before the deadline slated for Saturday, February 13.
Wahome noted that most students were misguided and lacked the requisite skills needed in the job market. This often leads to most students pursuing courses in universities that are not marketable.
Further, she wondered why youths, who form the majority in Kenya's unemployment rate, ignore these chances which are fully sponsored by the government.
"We have opportunities but very few are ready to take them. It is a countrywide problem where you will rarely find a young person committed to taking a vocational course," Wahome stated.
The CEO appealed to interested applicants to apply for the slots in order to equip the youths with the requisite skills needed to secure lucrative job opportunities. This, she acknowledged, is in a bid to curb the current unemployment crisis in the country.
Further, she confirmed a partnership with the Kenya National Qualifications Agency which would assist students who wished to advance their studies from a diploma to a degree.
Recently, the government had announced the scholarship program aimed at giving opportunities to students who scored lowly in the national examinations.
"This opportunity is for any Kenyan youth with any grade in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination and has never secured a course through KUCCPS," the agency noted in a past notice.
Students are expected to submit their applications online through the Student’s Portal accessible via the Placement Service website www.kuccps.ac.ke.
Among the details needed include the selected course, institution's name, KCSE index number, KCSE year, and birth certificate number. First-time applicants will be required to pay Ksh 1500 whereas those revising the choices already submitted in school, will part with Ksh1000.
