Why private varsities deal may flop

The new deal between the government of Kenya and private varsities that will see the institutions admit government sponsored students will flop if tuition fee is not adequately settled. Whereas the government pays Sh70,000 for each student in public universities per year, this money is a drop in the ocean to even sustain a student for one trimester in any private university in Kenya!

About 10,000 candidates who sat their Form Four examination in 2015 will receive government sponsorship in private universities thanks to Universities Act 2012.

 The agreement approved by President Uhuru Kenyatta must therefore go beyond this challenge because, if not addressed, those government sponsored students in private varsities will be required to meet the huge balance of their tuition fees.

 It’s also imperative to note that many private universities are on rental or leased premises hence justifying their high tuition where the cost of the same is passed down to students. How about lecturers? Should the government also think of sending public lecturers into the private varsities or co opting private university lecturers into the exchequer too?