Good News for Students: Funds Released for Exam Registration!
A shocking turn of events was reported by the Ministry of Education on Friday, February 3rd. In a statement, the Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu declared that universities must allow students who were beneficiaries of bursaries and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to sit for their end-of-semester exams.
The CS revealed that Ksh 2.7 billion had been released by Treasury to facilitate the students in paying their tuition fee, which is a requirement for exam registration. He acknowledged that around 180,000 students will benefit from this release.
No More Fears of Missing Exams!
The CS confirmed that no student who was a beneficiary of the government funding will miss out on the exams. He directed all universities to ensure that all students who received government loans and bursaries got the chance to sit for their exams as scheduled.
The Ministry of Education understands that many government-sponsored students in both public and private universities are preparing to take their end-of-semester exams this academic year. The CS also requested students to be patient as the money is being disbursed to their schools and accounts.
Protest Turned Celebration
Machogu’s announcement was made just hours after students had started protesting outside Treasury, concerned that they would miss their exams. Some students were even worried about missing their graduation as they were about to sit for their final exam.
However, HELB requested students to be patient, as many had questioned why the funds for the semester had not been released on time. “We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience while waiting for your loan to be paid. We will communicate with you soon via SMS,” responded HELB to student queries.
A Brighter Future for Higher Education
Notably, President William Ruto had hinted at the merger of HELB with other bodies to make loan disbursements more efficient. He promised to end the days of struggling students by establishing the National Skill and Funding Council, which will bring together HELB, TVET, and the University Funding Board.
This move will immediately double the current Higher Education Loans Board funding from Sh11 billion to Sh22 billion and eliminate interest on HELB loans. With this, the government aims to bridge the current higher education funding gap of up to 45%.
