The Kenya University Students' Organisation (KUSO) has urged President William Ruto to reject the recommendations of the presidential working party on education, which proposed tripling university tuition fees from Ksh.16,000 to Ksh.52,000 per semester.

The KUSO Nyanza chapter secretariat dismissed the report presented to the president last week in Kisumu on Tuesday, claiming that the information was out of touch with the current situation of the economy and the finances of university students.

PHOTO | COURTESY president Ruto

Hannington Oguk, KUSO Nyanza coordinator, pointed out the disparity between the suggestion and the Higher Education loan issued to students, which averages 15,000 per semester for each student. He claims the current amount needs to be increased to meet the student's needs, even with the current subsidized fees.

Oguk advised the current regime to consider increasing university funding and funding work-study programs to allow students from low-income families to earn money while studying at universities. Victor Omollo, Maseno University students' Union president, asked the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to consider revising student loans due to high inflation, which has resulted in a steep increase in the cost of living.

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Other recommendations included in the education task force report include increasing student enrollment in teacher training colleges, which currently stands at 3,922 students across 34 institutions nationwide, despite a capacity of 26,650 students.

The task force also wants the government to broaden the room for Technical and Vocational Training by establishing such institutes across the country, with a National Polytechnic in each county, a Technical Vocational College in each constituency, and a Vocational Training Centre in each ward.

Last week, the task force delivered its report to President William Ruto. It has also suggested several steps to raise the calibre of higher education in the nation, including relieving the financial burden on institutions by forgiving debts due by universities to statutory entities.

The working party suggests tripling the tuition for government-sponsored Kenyan college students from Ksh.16,000 to Ksh.52,000.