Global student demand picks up as learners seek early placements

International student numbers are expected to surge this year, according to predictions by SI-UK – an international education consultant, driven by a strong demand for higher education among Kenya learners.

Speaking at an education fair in Nairobi, the Country Manager for SI-UK Omar Mohamed says this year is likely to see a huge number of post-secondary graduates moving abroad to advance their education.

“Based on our assessment, we can already see a 40 percent increase in such inquiries and this year that number has more than doubled already, it could go up,” says Mohamed.

Adding that, work-integrated learning has also emerged as one of the vital pathways to employment, offering the future workforce the essential experience and attributes needed to make a positive difference, which explains why learners are seeking foreign studies.

As a result, a good number of Kenyan students are expected to flock to the United Kingdom and other international countries due to the expected drop in affordable tuition, increased scholarship opportunities by such overseas universities which are eager to admit new students.

The study – abroad initiatives are also driven by the fact that over 700,000 KCSE 2023 candidates are set to miss University placements for various reasons, according to Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) – the body charged with admitting students to public universities.

According to universities fees enlisted in this new funding model, under the KUCCPS portal, a first-year student undertaking a bachelor’s of law degree course in a private university will pay as high as Sh 170,000 annually compared to a student pursuing the same course in a public university.

On the contrary, Mohamed says that the majority of Kenyan parents prefer foreign universities over local ones due to a perception of high-quality standards, prestige, and exposure to life overseas.

Parents spend up to Sh4 Million per year per student or more to send their children abroad, most of whom end up getting permanent residents (PR) documents and citizenship over time.

Steve UMIDHA