Some of Kenya’s best known private universities did not register with the newly-created university admissions agency ahead of the April 19 deadline, putting a damper on plans to have them admit State-sponsored students.
Catholic University, Strathmore University and Mount Kenya University (MKU) top the list of private institutions that did not respond to last month’s call to register with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps), signalling their unwillingness to admit learners on State sponsorship.
The list of private universities that did not register with the placement agency also includes Kiriri Women’s University, Africa International University and Nairobi’s Inoorero University.
KUCCPS, which replaced the Joint Admissions Board (JAB), had invited all universities and colleges to become its members ahead of the planned enrolment of State-sponsored students in private universities.
The new agency was seen as a big win for private universities that have for years complained that JAB was denying them the opportunity to admit top students.
People familiar with the registration process said some of the private colleges such as Strathmore and Mount Kenya have asked the placement agency to explain how the arrangement will work before signing up.
“We have not registered with the placement service because so far it is not very clear how it will work,” said Patrick Kibui, the registrar at Strathmore University. “We hope to register as soon as there is clarity on how it will work for private universities,” he said.
Each university was required to deposit Sh100,000 into KUCCPS’ bank account as part of the registration process while colleges will pay an annual subscription fee of Sh70,000.
Upon registration, the universities are required to provide the placement agency with the list of courses for which they plan to admit State-sponsored students and the number of slots available.
KUCCPS is then expected to provide Form Four leavers with a list of all chartered universities and approved colleges to choose from.
Educationists reckon that while new admissions system is a huge win for the learners, there remains a lack of clarity on how students under government funding in private institutions will be financed.
This is because the private universities have traditionally charged higher fees than their public counterparts, making their managers wonder how the financing gap could be closed.
It has been proposed that the private universities provide the placement body with the costing of the courses they are willing to offer.
A yet-to-be-formed funding board is then expected to determine the average cost of each degree programme to help the State set the funding limits.
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