The Ministry of Education on Wednesday, September 6, waived the requirement for a national identity card for students under the age of 18 in applying for Higher Education Loan Board (HELB) loans and government scholarships.
Addressing the section of the press, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu directed HELB to review its status to avoid locking out students from benefitting from the funds set aside in the kitty.
“The Ministry has accordingly directed the Higher Education Loan Board (HELB) to review its portal to ensure all the 2,000 students yet to attain the age of 18 to apply for HELB loans,” CS Machogu stated.
“The Universities Fund and Higher Education Loans Board have been directed to put in place measures to commence immediate and speedy processing of scholarships and bursaries for all students who have already applied. Thereafter, the agencies will ensure the processing and disbursement exercise of scholarships and loans is conducted on a continuing basis,” he added.
Before adjustments, hundreds of students below 18 years were locked from benefitting from the Higher Education Loan Board (HELB).
Further Machogu extended the deadline for applying for HELB and scholarships by one month to October 7, 2023. The Education CS insisted that the extension will allow over 112,468 students who have yet to apply for the loans to do so.
According to data revealed by CS Machogu, as of Tuesday, September 5, 156,532 students had applied for both University Fund scholarships and HELB loans, accounting for only 60 per cent of students placed by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) based on KCSE 2022 performance.
To encourage university transition, Machogu advised institutions of higher learning to extend the admission period to avoid locking out students who are financially constrained.
“Where universities have already commenced admission of First Years, measures must be in place to ensure students are not turned away for failure to pay school fees as the Government processes their funds applications,” Machogu added.
photo/ File
