Ministry of Education revealed plans to shut down unnecessary satellite public institutions to improve the state of Public Universities.
Appearing before Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance on Tuesday, February 28, the Principal Secretary, of Higher Education and Research, Beatrice Inyangala, noted that the plan aimed to streamline the sector.
She noted that the plan was also key to addressing funding challenges for students seeking university admission.
According to the Ministry of Education, a satellite institution or branch is a campus of a university or college that is physically far from the main university.
Universities with satellite institutions include the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Moi University and Egerton University.
PS Inyangala, however, did not reveal satellite campuses targeted in the proposed plan to improve institutions of higher learning.
Responding to Inyangala's proposal, Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance faulted the strategy arguing that it exposed inconsistencies in the ministry.
The committee stated that the proposal was misinformed since Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) was still admitting students to private institutions of higher learning.
Moreover, the Education PS was taken to task over the admission of students to private universities.
"What criteria are being used to determine the cut-off point for students to be government-sponsored, is there a consideration of students’ financial background? Maybe it should be done on a needs basis after the performance criteria," Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda posed.
"I have looked at the figures you have given us, generally a student in a private university benefits more from these public funds and I think something is wrong there, what is the explanation for this criteria?" Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje questioned.
PS Inyangala told the Committee that the decision to admit the students to public universities arose due to the gap in the number of qualified students versus slots available in public universities.
The PS further clarified that some public universities lacked the capacity to take specialised courses.
