Education CS Jacob Kaimenyi launches new agency to replace Joint Admissions Board
A student fills registration forms for admission at the University of Nairobi in May 2013. Several students who were posted to public universities in the latest placement have complained of being assigned courses they did not select. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | FILE
What you need to know:
- Prof Kaimenyi asked the new agency to maintain integrity and fairness when admitting students
- Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service will now have representatives from private universities and colleges
Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi on Monday launched the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, to replace the Joint Admissions Board.
The new agency, formed under the Universities Act 2012, will have its mandate extended to include placing students to parallel programmes at private universities and middle-level colleges.
Speaking at the inauguration of the board in Nairobi, Prof Kaimenyi asked the new agency to maintain integrity and fairness when admitting students.
“Please ensure that academic merit, gender balance, candidates from pure arid areas and those with various forms of challenges (disabilities) are considered for institutional-based undergraduate studies,” said Prof Kaimenyi.
He also asked the agency to follow what has been set by the Joint Admissions Board.
“It is important to note that you are not starting on a plain paper but picking up from what JAB has been doing,” he said.
Prof Kaimenyi also asked the board to investigate recent reports of candidates who scored low grades in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations getting admitted straight to the universities.
“I appeal to you to make sure you uphold the integrity of the higher learning institutions and make sure that all those admitted to the private universities and the parallel program have the requisite grades,” he said.
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES TO BE REPRESENTED
Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service will now have representatives from private universities and colleges.
Previously, private universities had no representation on the JAB which was a bone of contention for years. JAB would send the top students to public universities.
The body will be made up of the secretary to the Commission for University Education, the chief executive of the Higher Education Loans Board, the chief executive of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Funding Board, two vice-chancellors representing public universities, two vice-chancellors from private universities, two representatives of the Kenya Association of Technical Institutions, the principal secretary in the ministry responsible for higher education,and the principal secretary in the ministry responsible for finance.
Among other functions, the new body will be tasked with disseminating information on available programmes in both public and private universities, their costs and areas of study prioritised by the government.
They will also develop career guidance programmes for the benefit of students.
The JAB was an informal structure that only selects students for public universities and their constituent colleges.
