NYERI, Kenya, Nov 2 – The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms team has called upon Kenyans to air their views and recommendation on funding of tertiary centers of learning, majority of which are wallowing in debts running into billions of shillings.
While paying a courtesy call at Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s office early today, Purity Karabai Mbaabu who is a member of the team said the forum is inviting views from both public and relevant education stakeholders in regard to funding institutions of learning and availing financial help to learners from poor family backgrounds.
“Members of the public are also expected to give views on learning at tertiary institutes, the recommendations on funding, the issue on bursaries, Higher Education Loans Board, University Funding Board (UFB) and advise whether there are any ambiguities or duplications or whether there is need for amalgamation or for other registrations,” she said.
“So, we are studying all the roles to be able to give recommendations to the President (Dr William Ruto),” she added.
Last year, data from the UFB showed there was a shortfall in capitation for public universities that had almost doubled within two years, from Sh13 billion in 2020 to Sh. 27 billion in2021 translating to a 100.7 per cent jump.
The report also showed that capitation per learner had declined by up to Sh35,616 during the same period with average allocation per student standing at Sh135,244.88 by December 2021 down from Sh170,861.63 in June 2020.
This compelled the State Department for Higher Education to back plans by university vice chancellors to hike fees to enable the public institutions to remain afloat amidst dwindling funding from Treasury.
Mbaabu has lauded members of the public for their overwhelming support during the forums in which varied views and proposals have been floated.
On Monday and Tuesday, the team was in Nyandarua where the public were given an opportunity to give their contributions on the proposed review.
“The response has been very good and overwhelming when we visited Nyandarua County and we expect the same from Nyeri. We are giving everybody a chance and tomorrow (Thursday) we shall be in Nyeri High School from 9 am. We are receiving written and verbal memoranda. We have notebooks, pens and we are recording everything as it is. So, it is about what people are saying on the ground and not our views,” she explained.
The 42-member team appointed by Dr Ruto in late September yesterday visited 10 counties during its first day of collecting views from the public.
Among counties already covered include Kwale, Taita, Nyandarua, Turkana, Kericho, Busia, Mandera, Migori and Samburu.
The committee which is currently working under a strict timeline is expected to give its recommendations by January next year.
Among areas viewed as crucial in the ongoing deliberations include the transition from the 8-4-4 system to the Competency Based Curriculum which will see the first batch of 1,268,830 Grade Six learners join Junior Secondary School early next year.
“We shall present our findings or rather summary of what we will have heard from the people and a decision will be made. So, we have a strict deadline because we are supposed to give the first report to His Excellency the President within two months from the day we were appointed. So, on November 29 we are supposed to be giving our first interim report to the President,” added Ms Mbaabu.
Governor Kahiga was represented by his deputy David Kinanire.
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