Ministry of Education addresses HELB delays for university students

The Ministry of Education has moved to reassure university students over delays in the disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funds, with the government saying processing of the payments is underway.

Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Inyangala said first-year students should report to their respective universities as the government completes the processing of the funding.

Inyangala spoke on Tuesday, September 1, during a consultative meeting with Vice Chancellors, where she also highlighted the unusually high number of students reporting to universities during the first week of the new academic year.

“It is unprecedented that we are having over 90% of students reporting in the first week. The message that students join universities while we await the processing of the bill has been taken very positively,” Inyangala said.

The PS further disclosed that universities had stepped in to support students from vulnerable backgrounds as they settle into campus life.

The delays come as the government moves to overhaul the country’s higher education financing system through the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill seeking to scrap HELB and replace it with a new funding authority.

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The proposed  Tertiary Education Funding Authority would take over the financing functions currently handled by HELB and introduce additional ways of mobilising funds for students.

Under the proposed framework, the new authority would be allowed to source funds through government allocations, Treasury bills and bonds, concessional loans and other financing mechanisms.

Additionally, it would also be able to tap private capital, pension funds, collective investment schemes, sovereign wealth funds and climate finance to expand funding for higher education.

In the meantime, students awaiting HELB funding can track the status of their applications through the HELB portal or by dialling ***642#** on their mobile phones and following the prompts.

Students are advised to regularly check their status and follow any instructions provided as the government processes the pending disbursements.

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