Tuesday, February 21, 2023 – The government of President William Ruto may soon make university education only for the selected few if the recommendations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) are anything to go by.
This is after PWPER recommended to Ruto to triple the University fees for government-sponsored students.
In its second interim report, the PWPER proposed raising fees from the current Ksh16,000 to ksh52,000 per semester.
The proposals handed to Ruto on February 16, further noted that there was a funding shortfall in universities, urging the government to increase its funding.
According to the team, from the 2018/2019 academic year to the 2022/2023 academic year, the government failed to fund public universities with a total amount of Ksh164 billion while private universities recorded a shortfall of Ksh56.96 billion in funding.
Moreover, the task force further appealed to the government to write off the huge debts owed by the universities to statutory bodies.
Addressing the issues of university leadership, the task force advised that all 28 vacant university chancellor positions be filled to allow for the proper running of the institutions.
Additionally, the task force stated that the president ought to seek the input of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the university’s Senate before appointing chancellors for different universities.
The Kenyan DAILY POST