Ministry uses money to woo more students to study science, math

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i. He says only Muslsims should be allowed to mark Idd Ul Adha. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Dr Matiang’i said the focus is to increase enrolment for science, technology, engineering and math courses.
  • He observed that 80 per cent of students in universities are pursuing art related courses, which is not adequate to help the country to realise Vision 2030.

Students pursuing science courses in universities will from July receive more funding than those taking humanities, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has said.

Dr Matiang’i said the focus is to increase enrolment for science, technology, engineering and math courses.

“The implementation of the Differentiated Unit Cost system of funding will allow the Higher Education Loans Board to disburse loans to students depending on the actual cost of the courses,” he said.

The CS went on: “This departure from the current uniform allocation for all students would see students who study science-based courses receiving much higher allocations than those in the liberal arts.”

Speaking during the launch of Wings to Fly programme for 2016 graduates joining technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, Dr Matiang’i said the country will not develop with the current focus on arts.

He observed that 80 per cent of students in universities are pursuing art related courses, which is not adequate to help the country to realise Vision 2030.

Dr Matiang’i said the TVET sector has been identified as a major platform for producing skilled human resources that are key to development.

He said a key challenge that Kenyans must move away from is the idea that TVET education is less prestigious and of lower value than university qualifications.

"TVET ought to be a destination of choice for those who wish to acquire the skills required to move this country to the next level of economic development.

"As a matter of fact, evidence suggests that TVET education is of equal value and in some cases even more valuable than a traditional university degree,” the CS argued.