The Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) has protested against the huge hike in tuition fees by universities and colleges, saying it is an assault on the right to education. Universities in Zimbabwe have introduced a system whereby students are required to pay 60% to 70% of tuition fees. Fees are in US dollars and the remainder in local currency using the interbank offered rate.
Rumpidzai Hlangbiza, vice-president of Zinaso, said many students had to postpone or abandon studies altogether.
“This puts a burden on hardworking parents and guardians and also affects access to education. We are the sons and daughters of civil servants who earn peanuts and cannot afford tuition fees,” Hlangabeza told NewsDay.
“The United Nations said that all children have the right to go to school, but if it is my right, why is the school administration asking for 60-70% of tuition fees in dollars when we are the daughters and sons of civil servants whose salaries come in Zimbabwean dollars.”
Hlangabeza expressed concerns that some students may be forced to engage in criminal activities to raise tuition fees.
“(It is painful to watch) your colleagues engaging in criminal activities just because the fees these institutions charge are unfairly high. It even affects the psychology of the students,” she said.
It was not possible to obtain a comment from the Ministry of Higher Education and Higher Education yesterday.
The universities said that the fee increase was necessary and inevitable in the face of the economic reality as the local currency continued to decline. Newsday
