Kenya releases sponsorship guidelines

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Government has spelt out the eligibility guidelines for both institutions and candidates who wish to be sponsored by the state. Also outlined are the procedures of placement by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

According to the guidelines, the service will receive and publish areas of training as prioritised by the Government. The institutions (public and private universities and colleges) will then declare the available capacities for the government-sponsored students.

Acting KUCCPS chief executive officer John Muraguri said the service will then publish the declared capacities they have received together with application guidelines.

He said the application process by the candidates will then commence. Muraguri said the placement process will follow based on choices received from the applicants.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

“Applicants (universities and colleges) must meet the approved minimum admissions requirement and students must also meet the minimum admission requirements for each degree and diploma,” he said, adding that affirmative action shall be done based on the laid down criteria.

“Applicants not placed after first revision may be requested to apply to programmes which may not have attracted adequate number of applicants,” he added.

After this stage, he said applicants who may not have qualified for any of their programmes of choice will be placed in any other programme that they are eligible for. But this guideline was disputed as the education stakeholders yesterday said some programmes will be made dumping grounds. According to 2013 KCSE analysis by the KUCCPS, some 121,654 candidates scored grade C+ and above. Of these, 2,690 scored A (plain), 1,638 scored A- (minus), 2,692 scored B+ and 3,439 scored B (plain).