Determining factors in the awarding of bursaries by the Higher Education Loans Board : a descriptive case study of Kenyatta University : a research report
Master Thesis
1999
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University of Cape Town
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The dramatic increase in university enrolments amidst a deteriorating macroeconomic situation in Kenya has led the government to resort to a system of cost-sharing offset by a loan scheme. The Kenyan Government acknowledges that in order to enhance equity (in the form of access to higher education for the less wealthy), repayable loans must be accompanied by non-repayable bursaries and scholarships. This study is motivated by a concern that bursaries are being awarded unfairly. Its objectives are three-fold: to give an overview of the university bursary programme; to review literature related to university bursary programmes (including main problems and challenges surrounding the provision and repayment of loans) in developing countries; and to explore through descriptive analysis the role (if any) of students personal and family demographic, social, regional and economic characteristics on HELB decisions to award bursaries or not using a sample of 107 Kenyatta University students. The sample consisted of 31 bursary recipients and 76 non-recipients. The applicants: from the Rift Valley and the Coast provinces; aged 25 years old and below; who are male; with one parent living or orphaned; who are single; whose parents are either single, divorced, widowed, or separated parents; whose parents or guardians have other dependants; whose parents or guardians has either no education, adult literacy, or primary education; whose parents or guardians are either unemployed or full-time home-makers; whose personal income is less than or equal to Ksh. 5000; whose parents or guardians earn a annual income of less than Ksh. 20000; whose family assets are worth between Ksh. 1 and 1,5 million; and who got bursaries during their secondary education worth more than Ksh. 10000 appear to be favoured by HELB in its awarding of university bursaries. Although the evidence is not conclusive, it supports the claim that poor students, for whom bursaries are intended, do no appear to benefit in all cases. We have argued that this inequity arises from the apparent lack of clear criteria used by HELB in its award of bursaries. This suggests that HELB’s practice is unfair in not distinguishing between those who need and those who merely want bursaries. in conclusion, there is an urgent need for rigorous inferential (causal-effect relationship) studies geared at establishing the key indicators of need for university bursaries.
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Muthuri, L. 1999. Determining factors in the awarding of bursaries by the Higher Education Loans Board : a descriptive case study of Kenyatta University : a research report. University of Cape Town.