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Over 10,000 university students will miss out on HELB loans for pursuing courses not approved by the Commission for University Education.
This comes amid revelation on 133 courses taught in universities without the regulator’s approval.
HELB chief executive officer Charles Ringera has termed the courses invalid as they are yet to be certified.
Ringera notes that only courses accredited by the Commission for University Education are eligible for loans.
“We can neither fund unaccredited courses nor universities that are not chartered by CUE. The government cannot place students to courses that are not accredited nor universities that are not charted and we rely on the number of students placed to fund their education. They are pretty much tied,” Ringera told the Star yesterday.
According to Ringera, the board hugely relies on Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service data to fund loan applicants.
Placement of students to the university under government sponsorship is done by KUCCPS.
CUE regulations show that university senates are responsible for setting up new courses in universities but need an audit by the commission for the programme to be recognized.
The commission is also responsible for awarding of charters to universities.
Currently, 14 universities are yet to receive charters and operate on provisional status.
Unaccredited courses
In Tom Mboya University, a total of 25 courses are taught without the commission’s nod. They are all science courses.
Garissa University has a total of 31 courses and only 21 of them are accredited.
In the University of Embu and Jaramogi Oginga University of Science and Technology, six courses remain unaccredited, Turkana University college (5), University of Eldoret (2), Kisii University (5), Kabarak University (2), Karatina University (4), Cooperative University (3), CUEA (2 )courses, Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology (4), University of Kabianga, Multimedia University, Laikipia University, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Moi University, South Eastern Kenya University all with one course.
Others include University of Eldoret (2), TUM (2), Kenya Methodist University (2) courses, Kenya Highlands Evangelical Univervisty (7) unaccredited courses.
According to CUE, the courses remain unapproved on the count of lack of enough infrastructure, classrooms and a properly constituted library to conduct the courses.
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