UON Students Hold Demo Over New Funding Model

University of Nairobi students on Monday held demonstrations against the new University Funding Model.

The students who want to petition the ministry of Education have asserted that the new varsity funding model will cripple university education owing to what they call an unfair distribution criteria.

University of Nairobi Students Association leader Rocha Madzayo earlier called on all university students across the country to reject the new funding model.

"With this new funding model, it is cheaper to go to private institutions than to go to public institutions. We will continue to be on the streets if the government won't listen to our cries," he said.

Last week, President William Ruto defended the new university funding model, emphasizing its consideration for students' varying levels of vulnerability.

The head of state indicated that the country needs a funding model that is not focusing on the university but focuses on the student.

"I am persuaded now that we need a funding model that is not focused on the university but focused on the student. A funding model that will not leave any child in Kenya behind but a funding model that recognizes that there are children that come from vulnerable families," Ruto noted.

A section of education stakeholders have criticized the funding model for locking out the dreams of needy students.

Nearly 12,000 aggrieved students have so far registered appeals through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal contesting the new university funding model.

Universities Fund Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Monari earlier disclosed that the review process has already begun, with students set to receive the status of their appeals within three weeks of application.

This is even as the ineffectiveness of the Means Testing Instrument (MTI) used to classify students in different funding categories emerged with critics citing data inaccuracies and inadequate grading parameters.

The funding model places students in five bands using eight variables, including parents' background, gender, course type, marginalization, disability, family size, and composition.

The model combines the variables to determine household needs and appropriate funding. However, parents and learners have decried miscategorization with a majority placed in band 4 and band 5.

The Ministry of Education has so far received Sh5.8 billion for student loans and Sh2.8 billion for scholarships for disbursement to students across five bands categorized based on needs.

This new funding framework replaces the Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) model previously used to finance universities.

Unveiled by President Ruto on May 3, 2023, the model aims to ensure that all eligible students receive financial support for their education.

This article originally appeared on Capital FM