Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse intends to table in Parliament a bill and an amendment to increase funding to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and universities to enable students access higher loan limits to fund their education.
He argued the higher cost of fees being charged by various institutions in the country has disadvantaged students from poor families from accessing tertiary and higher education especially in Arid and SemiArid Areas (ASALs)
“We will bring a Bill and an Amendment in parliament to enable HELB, Colleges and Universities to get enough funding from the national budget to ensure all our students get education, regardless of their economic status,” said Mutuse on Wednesday during the swearing in of Makueni University Students Association (MUSA) officials at Wote Social Hall.
“We need to set aside money for our students in public institutions to enable them access affordable education,” emphasized the MP.
On accommodation, the MP disclosed that he will ask the government to provide investors with land within public universities to construct affordable houses and hence guarantee students’ security. “We have many students studying engineering, medicine, education and law who reside in slums because there is inadequate accommodation in universities which compromises their security,” observed the legislator
In another development, Mutuse said that he is going to initiate an online application system for college and university students to use in applying for education bursaries from the National Government Constituency Fund (NGCDF).
“The digital system will facilitate students from higher learning institutions with easier application process for NGCDF bursaries at the comfort of their campuses,” he added.
He further said that bursaries for secondary students will be disbursed at the polling stations in the constituency where parents will identify deserving students.
