Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala on Tuesday, August 20, announced that first-year students can appeal the funding model bands they have been placed in.
Speaking while appearing before the National Assembly, PS Inyangala said that the accuracy of the means testing instrument (MTI) of the new university funding model depends on the information provided by the applicants.
PS Inyangala noted that most students applied for funding through cybercafes and submitted without verifying that they provided the correct information.
“The accuracy of the MTI in determining the level of need relies heavily on the information provided by the applicant. Many applicants have been using cybercafes and depending on the operators to submit their applications, often without thoroughly verifying that the correct information is provided,” said Inyangala.
How To Appeal
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Following numerous complaints about the bands in which students were placed, the Ministry of Education has disclosed that they can appeal and provide accurate information.
According to the Higher Education PS, students placed in the 'wrong' bands can appeal through the higher education financing (HEF) portal.
“There is an operational mechanism for appeal through the following portal www.hef.co.ke,” Inyangala remarked.
Appeals will be processed within three weeks from the date of the application to ensure timely intervention.
At the same time, PS Inyangala pointed out that most students placed in bands 4 and 5 studied in national high schools where they paid minimum school fees of Sh53,000 while others studied in private schools.
"Honorable speaker in these national schools the students were paying Sh53,000 minimum, we also know there are other levies. Some of these students also studied in private schools," said Inyangala.
She continued "When we use the secondary school that a student went to as an indicator and the students went to national schools and they have not demonstrated that they were funded through harambees or they had a guardian or bursaries, then it becomes very difficult for us not use that variable as a discriminator.”
The PS mentioned that officials from the Ministry of Education will visit some of the sample students in their homes and correctly classify them.
University Funding Bands
The new university funding model has categorized students into five bands based on family income. Band 1 is for families with a monthly income up to Sh5,995 while Band 2 covers families with a monthly income up to Sh23,670.
Band 3 is for families with a monthly income up to Sh70,000 and Band 4 is for families with a monthly income up to Sh120,000.
Families with a monthly income above Sh120,000 have been categorized in band 5
In band 1, the government scholarship will cover 70% of the university fees, with the loan covering 25% and the family will contribute 5%. The student receives an upkeep loan of Sh 60,000.
In band 2 the government scholarship will cover 60% of the fees, the loan will cover 30% and the family will contribute 10%. The student receives an upkeep loan of Sh55,000.
Students in band 3 will get a scholarship covering 50% of the university fees, a loan covering 30% of the fees and their families will pay for the remaining 20% of the fee. The upkeep loan in this band will be Sh50,000.
In band 4, the government scholarship will cover 40% of the fees; the loan will cover 30%, making the total support 70%. The family will contribute 30% and the student receives an upkeep loan of Sh45,000.
Other the other hand, students in band 5 will receive a government scholarship of 30%; the loan will cover 30% and the family will contribute 40%. The student receives an upkeep loan of Sh40,000.
