The student was one of the 202 students from Uasin Gishu County who had been granted a study program agreement between Uasin Gishu County Government and three Finnish universities. In the fall of 2022, 65 Kenyan nurses arrived in Finland for the customized training at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences, but they later discovered that the studies would last two and a half years. Initially, the parents had deposited funds into an account managed by the county. However, several months later, the universities claimed that they had not received the payments, which may have led to the expulsion of these students. In Kenya, the amount paid covered only half of the first year of study. In addition to this, the students thought that the province would pay for their studies. However, the students’ families later had to pay for it. Nursing students, who were promised a one-year degree and immediate work placement, feel they have been cheated and the uncertainty of the education has left them with an uncertain future.
The tragic incident is a stark reminder that more support and guidance is needed for students abroad. In recent years, Finnish educational institutions have actively entered into degree export agreements with various countries, including Kenya. In these agreements, degree programs are offered to foreign students either by distance learning or by establishing campuses in these countries.
Confusion about payments
The father of a student who died by suicide described how he and his family had been duped into paying 70% of the fees, which amounted to Sh950,000 (โฌ6305) out of a total of Sh1.2 million (โฌ7964). . They were told that the remaining 30 percent would cover students who would study and work at the same time. However, he pointed out that this was unrealistic because full-time classes would make it difficult for these students to get a job and pay the outstanding amount.
The tuition fee situation is still unclear and Laurea’s principal Jouni Koski says a final decision has yet to be made. The counties were asked to pay the tuition fee by the end of April. Despite the problems with on-demand education, Laurea University claims that teaching Kenyan nursing students to be continued for now.
Laurea University has also received inquiries from individual students who want to pay for the continuation of their studies themselves. According to the law, on-demand training can only be sold to groups and the customer must be from another country or an international organization. For this reason, an individual student cannot be a payer.
Similarly, 125 Kenyan nursing and physiotherapy students Those studying at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) and Tampere Vocational Education Center have unpaid tuition fees for the fall semester, which Uasin Gishu County was supposed to pay. However, despite repeated inquiries and reminders, the money did not arrive, which caused concern about students’ studies being disrupted. To resolve the issue, TAMK University sent a stern debt collection letter to Uas in Gishu Province in October, warning that tuition would be suspended if payments were not made by December 26, 2022 last year. This opened a dialogue with the new governor of the province, who promised to investigate the delay in payments and find a solution. In March 2023, TAMK settled its dispute over unpaid tuition fees for Kenyan students by signing a new contract for bespoke nursing and physiotherapy training with Kenya’s Max Global Group.
Students struggle to make ends meet
The situation of Kenyan nursing students selected by Edusampo Oy, owned by Saimaa vocational school, is also complicated. The students were supposed to start their studies in Lappeenranta in September, but they did not get a residence permit in Finland. In addition to this, ambiguities in the financing of education have raised concerns about the source of the financing and the students’ ability to meet the financial requirements of the residence permit.
As a result of missing money transfers, students are at risk of losing their right to study in Finland and their right of residence in the country. Some families have resorted to debt or sold their assets to finance their students’ studies. Some students even have turned to prostitution to make ends meet, Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL) reports. According to HBL, continuing studies has led to a weakening of the students’ financial cycle, because continuing studies has meant working during study leave or an increased financial burden on families. Laurea University Rector Jouni Koski told HBL that the school has done everything to help Kenyan students. The purpose of the program was to provide Kenyan students with scholarships to study in Finland, but the students and their families had to pay thousands of euros to participate in the project at home, which far exceeded Kenya’s average monthly income.
In order to respond to these concerns, the Finnish Immigration Service is investigating money traffic on the Kenyan side to ensure the students’ livelihood in Finland during their studies. This includes checking whether the funds provided by the Kenyan county government are scholarships or loans, and whether the students themselves have paid significant amounts. It may take some time to complete the investigation, but the goal is to ensure that the students’ studies are not interrupted and that they receive a residence permit as soon as possible.
After a thorough investigation into the scam, a committee of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly has recommended further investigations into the management of the foreign education account for alleged forgery, abuse of office and lack of integrity.
The adverse conditions faced by Kenyan students studying in Europe have come under scrutiny in recent months. In March 2023, hundreds of these scholars were expelled after Uasin County failed to pay their second semester tuition fees as per the scholarship agreement, leaving them with only two days to vacate the unpaid hostels. Uasin Gishu County management finally intervened to save the students from this crisis. At the time, the county governor, Senator Jackson Mandago, signed an agreement with Laurea University to allow students from the county to study there. In September of last year, 67 students got a nursing degree at Laurea University, 25 more got a place at the University of Jyvaskyla for the same training, and 111 students got a nursing degree at the University of Tampere. enrolled in a welding degree program.
It is a wake-up call for governments and educational institutions to take even more significant steps to support and guide these students to ensure their mental and physical well-being.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. Talking to someone can go a long way in overcoming these feelings of hopelessness. There are many resources available to help during this difficult time. Here are some helplines you can contact:
Emergency phone: 092 525-0111
Crisis hotline in Arabic and English: +3589 2525-0113
Central Association of Mental HealthMental health hotline: 0203 91920
MLL Nuortenetti: 116,111
HT
Source: The Nordic Page