Blow to university students over plans to charge more fees from January

Students in public and private universities may have to pay more fees next year to help finance the sector regulator’s quality assurance programmes.

Every category of students, from PhD to diploma level may have to bear the cost of the new annual levy the Commission for University Education (CUE) will impose on universities starting in January in addition to other charges.

Although CUE chairman Henry Thairu said the levy shall not be passed on to students, the poorly funded public universities and the commercially-oriented private ones say they have no choice but to pass on the cost.

“The levy shall be paid by individual institutions,” said Thairu.

The new levy is on a graduated scale based on the various categories of students and covers their entire stay at the universities. However, the management of the institutions have said they will pass on the cost to the students, hence the inevitable increase in fees.

CUE has already instructed universities to pay the levy for every student enrolled in their various degree and diploma programmes. At the moment, each institution pays CUE a one-off and modest Sh21,000 annually, a figure it says is too little.

Under the new charges gazetted last week, universities will now pay an annual fee of Sh1,000 per undergraduate student annually to CUE for the duration of enrolment in the programme. All universities will pay Sh1,500 for every master’s degree student and Sh2,000 per PhD student per year. Those offering postgraduate diploma programmes will pay Sh800 per student, annually.

University of Nairobi currently has about 54,000 undergraduate students, which amounts to Sh54 million annually. And Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT) with an undergraduate population of about 25, 000 students will remit Sh25 million annually.

Currently, there are some 22 chartered public universities and nine public constituent colleges with varied numbers of students. There are also 17 private universities and five private constituent colleges.

The new charges are contained in a Kenya Gazette notice number 8477 dated November 10, 2014.

Education Permanent Secretary Belio Kipsang said this is part of efforts to make CUE self-raise its money based on the services it offers.

Vice Chancellors who spoke to The Standard in confidence, however, said the new rates have not been discussed, but if implemented, universities would pass on the cost to students. “Universities cannot pay money they do not have. This simply means they will pass this cost to students and it may make education a bit more expensive,” said a VC in one of the private universities.

KCA University VC Noah Midamba said the levy is ‘quite substantial’ and asked that universities’ management be consulted before implementation.

Technical University of Kenya VC Francis Aduol said the new levies “will have a significant impact on the running of universities given that they are largely underfunded”.

 

LEVIES OPPOSED

The Kenya Gazette notice reads: “Pursuant to the provision of Regulation 83 of the Universities Regulations 2014, the Commission for University Education prescribes fees specified in the column of the schedule as fees payable in respect of the matters respectively specified in the first and second column.”

But Kenya Universities Students Organisation president Babu Owino said students will oppose such levies. “The only thing we shall support is reduction of fees. There shall be no dialogue,” he said. Previous rates universities remitted to CUE amounted to some Sh21,000. According to university rules of 1989 by then Education Minister Peter Oloo Aringo, universities were required to pay Sh1,000 on application for registration or establishment.

The institutions also paid Sh5,000 on issuance of a certificate of registration and a similar amount for the letter of interim authority. The new rates now require universities to pay Sh640,000 for accreditation of each academic programme.

Establishment charges for application for a Letter of Interim Authority (LIA) or new constituent college shall be Sh810,000. The Commission has also pegged new rates for application for the Award of Charter at Sh960,000.

There are 13 institutions currently operating with LIAs. CUE has also more than doubled the fees payable for the processing of recognition and equation qualifications (REQ). CUE undertakes recognition and equation of degrees, postgraduate diplomas and certificates conferred or awarded by foreign universities and institutions in accordance with Section 5 (1)(g) of the Universities Act and the universities regulations, standards and guidelines.

Under the new rates, an application fee for recognition and equation of various qualifications by holders of academic awards will cost Sh6,000, up from Sh2, 500.

The document says subsequent application charges for REQ on the same academic award by the holder shall cost Sh3,600 instead of Sh1,500. Those who want REQ services processed and declared the same day will pay Sh10,000.

Prospective employers who wish to know the academic equivalence of various academic awards held by their potential employees will pay Sh12,000, up from Sh3,000. Applications by prospective employers or any other body outside the jurisdiction of the Republic of Kenya will now cost Sh25,000, up from Sh4,000. The document seen by The Standard also lists three categories of rates under Quality Audit Charges. Universities will be required to pay Sh1.8 million towards the institution’s audit charges. Auditing academic programmes shall now cost Sh640,000, while campuses will pay Sh300,000.

Additionally, universities will be required to pay Sh810,000 in application charges for authority to collaborate per degree programme. CUE has also set the universities’ annual licensing charges for recruitment agencies at Sh100,000.