Nairobi, Kenya, Sep 9 – Nominated Senator Raphael Chimera has renewed calls to delink education bursaries from political offices, stating that the current structure hampers the proper administration of these funds.
Senator Chimera emphasized the need to consolidate bursary funds, arguing that a unified fund under the Ministry of Education would streamline the process and better serve needy students.
“Political offices should not control bursaries. These funds should be harmonized under a single entity within the Ministry of Education,” the Senator remarked.
He further advocated for direct access to funds for schools, which would pave the way for enhancing free education.
The senator’s proposal comes amidst widespread concerns that political figures, including governors, MPs through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF), Woman Representatives via the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), and MCAs at the ward level, are using these funds to reward supporters, sometimes at the expense of genuinely needy students.
“Politicians must stop politicizing education,” Chimera urged, echoing allegations of rampant misuse of bursary funds.
Discussions about centralizing education bursaries have gained momentum, with some stakeholders proposing that the Ministry of Education take charge of all bursaries for post-primary learners, amid claims that legislators exploit the funds for political gain.
The effort to consolidate these funds has already begun, following a request from Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to the Executive, urging the development of a comprehensive policy on the issue.
The proposed reforms aim to bring together the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) alongside other bursaries and scholarships managed by both national and county-level politicians.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has also weighed in on the matter, asserting that free education is achievable if the government consolidates all bursary, loan, and scholarship funds into a single entity.
She has criticized the current university education funding model, which categorizes learners into five groups based on their family’s financial capacity, calling it unjust.
The Chief Justice opined that a unified education fund would be sufficient to finance a free education program and eliminate inefficiencies in the current system.
This move is seen as an effort to curb the misuse of public funds in the bursary allocation process.
Meanwhile, uncertainty looms for many needy students set to join higher learning institutions, as parents and guardians struggle to meet the financial requirements.
Criticism of the new funding model has also intensified, with education stakeholders arguing that it denies many students the opportunity to pursue their dreams.
Concerns have been raised over the Means Testing Instrument (MTI), which is used to categorize students for funding.
Critics point to data inaccuracies and insufficient grading parameters that have resulted in many students being placed in the higher, less-funded categories.
The model uses eight variables, including parents’ background, gender, course type, marginalization, disability, family size, and composition, to assess household needs.
However, there have been widespread complaints of miscategorization, with a majority of students being placed in bands 4 and 5, which offer the least financial support.
