New Education Reforms Tailored To Solve Unemployment, Rigathi Gachagua Says

• Rigathi Gachagua said the Kenya Kwanza administration is committed to reforming the education sector
• Gachagua explained that the plan is focused on meeting the emerging social-economic development demands of the country
• Education CS Ezekiel Machogu said the government is working to address the financial challenges facing universities

Nairobi - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu have said the reforms proposed by the presidential working party will re-engineer the education sector.

Gachagua was speaking during the graduation ceremony of the University of Eastern Africa Baraton added that the government's lion's share of budget allocation to the sector illustrates the Kenya Kwanza administration's commitment to reforms in the sector for socio-economic growth.

"The task force has set on course a raft of reforms that will re-engineer the education system to meet the emerging social-economic development demands of our great country. It also happens when our nation is grappling with rampant unemployment as graduates from tertiary institutions compete for limited opportunities," Gachagua explained.

Rigathi Gachagua: A sustainability plan

Elaborating on the new university education funding model, the second in command said the plan would ensure that no student drops out of school over fees arrears.

"We are changing the model so that once you are given assistance there is sustainability to push learners through academics. We have just refocused and changed the strategy," an optimistic Gachagua said.

Speaking on a different occasion in Kisii county, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said all universities were almost going broke because the funding that was there, the differentiated unit cost was not working, pushing universities into the den of pending bills amounting to KSh 62 billion.

Gov't allocates KSh 19.6b for 155k students

The government allocated KSh 19.6 billion to fund university students as the new funding model for universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) takes effect in September.

University fund CEO Geoffrey Monari said the funding is enough to cater to more than 155,814 students in private and public universities after the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) sent 140,107 students to public and private universities.