Double tragedy for private varsities as state end placement of students, TSC reverts to TTCs

Private universities in in the country are facing a bleak future after the government initiated plans to end placement of government-sponsored students at the institutions.

The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Daystar University and Mount Kenya University (MKU) are among the private universities that admit government-sponsored students.

At the same time, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is considering not to renew the tender that committed the teachers’ employer to have secondary tutors’ posted to only four private universities for refresher courses and now wants to revert to the existing Teacher Training Colleges to run the programme.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has hinted at discontinuing refresher courses to secondary school teachers and instead revert to the existing Teacher Training Colleges to run the programme.

The four universities currently offering the training are Mount Kenya University, Kenyatta and Riara universities and the Kenya Education Management Institute.

The contract awarded to the four universities is expected to come to an end in September this year besides the TSC’s failure to implement the process.

Top universities like Egerton, Maseno, Jomo Kenyatta, University of Agriculture and Technology, University of Nairobi, Masinde Muliro University, Kisii University were not selected to offer the TPD courses.

And on placement of government sponsored students to private varsities, the 2023-2024 Budget Policy Statement, which spells out priority expenditures for the government, shows that the government has terminated exchequer funding for private universities from the next financial year.

The move, if approved by Parliament, will spell doom for private universities that have been relying on state capitation to stay afloat amid financial turmoil in institutions of higher learning.

“The State Department for Higher Education and research, through the KUCCPS, should not place new government-sponsored students in private universities,” reads in part the report that was tabled on Wednesday in the National Assembly by the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson Ndindi Nyoro.

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) is the institution that is mandated by law to place form four graduates in universities and colleges.

The development comes at a time when the government is struggling to fund public universities that are choked with debts amounting to over Sh56 billion.

There are fears that the end of the placement of government-sponsored students in private universities could see thousands miss direct entry to universities because of limited slots that are determined by bed capacity.

The policy programme was introduced in 2016 as part of the government’s strategy to ensure that students who score the university minimum entry grade of C plus are absorbed and funded by the state.

Details show that so far, private universities have received about Sh9 billion since 2016 when the programme started.

In the 2017/2018 financial year, a total of Sh1.56 billion was disbursed towards the program while in the 2020/2021 financial year, a total of Sh2.7 billion was disbursed.

MPs have previously questioned why the state is funding private universities yet the institutions are not open to audit by the nation’s Auditor-General.

In a previous meeting, Education committee chairman Julius Melly questioned why the state was still placing students in private universities.

“We used to admit students in private universities because of space but now the issue is over, are we still processing students to private universities and if yes, what’s the basis?”Melly paused.

For one particular case, the government was asked to pay Sh250 million to Uzima University as pending bills.

Melly said the concerns over the funding of government students in private universities was a blanket issue.

“I have seen a letter from the immediate former CS National Treasury over this Sh250 million, why are we only talking about this university?” Melly paused.

In a report, the public Investments Committee on Education and Governance also proposed a review of this funding policy.

“Review the policy since the capacity gap between slots available in public universities vis a vis qualified students is now non-existent,” Wanami Wamboka said.

Wamboka who is the committee chair further noted that the objectives of private varsities differ from that of other national institutions.

The Bumula MP explained that most private universities are profit-making entities.

“Objectives of private universities may be at variance with national development goals as they are first and foremost profit-centric,” he said.

Wamboka now wants an amendment to the Universities Act and the Helb Act.

This, he said will give public universities first priority to fill up their slots to 100 per cent.

“This will be before a student is financed through capitation, in a private entity. Students who willingly choose private education must surely be capable of funding the same,” he added.

Recent data from the Universities Fund shows the State currently pays for 20.79 percent of the unit costs for government-sponsored students in private universities and 48.11 percent of those in public universities.

The United States International University stopped admitting government-sponsored students due to underfunding.

Strathmore University is the other high-profile private university that also stopped admitting State-sponsored students.

In 2020, Mount Kenya University has received the highest number of government-sponsored students in the latest placement by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central placement Service (KUCCPS) in the private universities category.

Available data indicates that MKU, then, with a capacity of 4,995 received 2,247 students and was followed by Kabarak University which had requested 3,300 students and was given 2,181.

Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) with a capacity of 1,980 received 867 students while KCA University with a capacity of 3300 received 1363.

Baraton University which had requested 2,000 students was given 532 students while Gretsa University with a capacity of 850 students received 241 students.

“Kenya Methodist University asked for 2,565 and received 662 students while Uzima University College asked for 170 students and was given 42,” data shows.

Scott Christian University requested for 1500 student but was only given 13 while International Leadership University which requested 50 students did not receive any student.

The troubled Daystar University declared a capacity of 200 and 169 students have been placed in the institution.

Riara University requested 100 students but has since received 101 while Africa Nazarene University with a capacity of 1,560 students it has received 738 students.

In total, in 2020 before the outbreak of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, private universities received 10,487 as compared to last year’s 17,368.