The incumbent Embakasi East member of Parliament Dr. Babu Owino has been vocal about the effects of the implemented funding model to the university students, condemning it with the strongest terms possible. His cry for the less privileged has not been put into consideration by the current regime which is looting the country’s resources to death.
Hon Babu Owino boldly says that guaranteed funding is crucial success to higher education more than the government dealing with unnecessary matters that are not helping the common mwananchi in any way.
The banding illustrated by the government is a total burden to many ambitious students in higher institutions.
Article 26.1 of the universal declaration of human rights requires that higher education shall be accessed equally based on merit. Therefore, all funding applicants should have access to 100 percent of program costs, apportioned between scholarship and student loans based on the level of financial needs.
Being raised from a humble background, Dr Babu Owino understands the struggles of the needy students in higher institutions. It’s evident that many students can’t sit for the exams because of fee arrears as others are forced to drop out due to their financial situation.
The model means testing instrument (MTI),which uses family income and socio economic factors to classify applicants into five bands,has been criticized for misclassifying students. This has resulted in many students being allocated less funding.
Under the new model introduced in May 2023, funding for students in public universities constitutes a blend of government scholarships,loans and house hold contributions.The proportion of each student varies with student bands.
During the launch president Ruto lauded the new model as student centered and capable of fixing persistent financial crisis in public universities, unfortunately this funding model has brought more harm than good to the poor innocent students in higher institutions.
Great work