Student unrest in technical institutions over fee hikes

TVET Students Association of Kenya (TVETSA) members led by the president Peter Kutosi during a media briefing on challenges facing TVET students. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Tension is rising in technical colleges across the country as trainees lament over hike in tuition fees that they said have affected their learning progress.  

Addressing the press on Saturday in Nairobi, the students through their leaders raised concerns over the challenges the fees increment has plunged them into, putting the education of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in the line. 

According to TVET Students’ Association of Kenya (TVETSA) President, Peter Kutosi, thousands of students are on the verge of dropping out of school as many cannot afford the school fees, forcing them to halt learning.

He said the increase in the tuition fees was not officially communicated to the students, noting that they learnt of the increase in their fees structures. 

"These changes, introduced without sufficient notice or engagement, have caused worry, especially for students who come from families already facing economic strain," said Kutosi. 

He added: "Students have not registered for exams because of school fees, and that parents are already strained owing to the high cost of living." 

This comes after several strikes witnessed in some of the training institutions as students expressed outrage over what they termed an 'unbearable" hike in fees.

Early this week, a two-day student unrest at Meru National Polytechnic saw the institution closed indefinitely. The students barricaded roads and disrupted businesses in the nearby shopping centres. 

In the case of Meru, school fees was hiked to Sh67,189 from Sh56,420 per year, an increase that the school principal, Mutembei Kigige argue was necessitated by introduction of the new Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum. 

On Saturday, the students also decried delay in disbursement of HELB loans and capitation funds, which disorients many learners who rely on them. 

They also complained of a growing gap in communication and mutual understanding between student leadership, institutional heads, and policy-makers and the Ministry, saying, their attempts to dialogue for solutions have fell on deaf years. 

"We are lagging because we are not involved in the affairs of our institutions," said TVETSA Secretary General Carlos Mogire, even as he appealed a for structured platform where students' voices can be heard constructively. 

"We want to tell the Ministry of Education to tackle these issues. Failure to which we will have to call for peaceful demonstrations to push them into action," he added. 

The students now want the Ministry to develop a standardised fee policy framework, ensuring all institutions remain affordable and inclusive to avert inconveniences. 

Similarly, they are urging the government to prioritise the timely release of capitation and HELB funds, aligned with academic calendars to prevent unnecessary interruptions and introduce guidelines for institutional transparency.

"We ask TVET Authorities to enhance student representation in national forums that impact education policy, especially concerning welfare and funding and the administrators to conduct regular dialogue forums with student leaders to promote collaboration and early problem-solving," said Kutosi. 

"We are reminding them to listen to us," said Levy Kyama, TVETSA Speaker, urging students "to stay calm" as they wait for the "next course of action."