The Ministry of Education has revealed the amount of money the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) will give to University students as pocket money.
Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said that the new limits are part of the new higher ecucation financing model which aims to ensure the vulnerable student access quality education.
According to the PS, the most vulnerable students will be given Sh60,000 every year for pocket money.
On the other hand, the second level, ranked under the funding model, will receive Sh55,000, while the third and fourth levels will receive Sh50,000 and Sh45,000, respectively.
Inyangala added that Students from welloff families who fall under the fith level will get Sh40,000 every year for pocket money.
The new funding model introduced by the government in May 2023 aims to provide free education to Universities and college students facing financial difficulties.
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The vulnerable and extremely needy students would receive 100 percent funding, while the needy and less needy would get 93 percent.
Inyangala further said that some families will pay a low of Sh3,000 for fees, because of the subsidization from the government.
She explained that the government will cover 80 percent of the program fees, while parents will only pay 20 percent.
“So, families pay fees ranging from 5 percent of the cost of the program to 40 percent of the cost of the program. I can assure you that families will pay as low as Sh3,000 per semester for their children,” she remarked.
The government is further set to subsidize expensive courses to reduce the burden faced by many parents.
“For a course like medicine which is the most expensive at about Ksh600,000, a family will only pay about Ksh30,000,’’ she said.
Students will know how much they are supposed to pay for fees and how much their families will contribute from August 19.