Link varsity fees to Govt salaries: Students

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

Students are concerned over new university fees set in January and have suggested linking the fees increases to civil service salary increments.

This, it is hoped, would ensure that parents either pay fees or service loans raised for fees.

The students from universities and polytechnic colleges countrywide were giving oral evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology Development, Innovation and Tertiary Education.

The committee, chaired by Hwange Central legislator Mr Daniel Molokele (MDC-Alliance), sought to know the impact of recent fees hikes in tertiary institutions.

Government, through Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira set university fees at between $3 500 and $5 000 per semester depending on the programme, arguing that there was need to balance the desire for quality education and affordability.

Yesterday, Prof Murwira defended his fee rise limits, saying in an interview they were reasonable and were commensurate with the increases in civil service salaries, answering one of the key interventions by students.

In their evidence, the students had said there was need for Government to reduce the fees or bring them into line with salaries that subsisted among civil servants.

They said present loan schemes introduced by Government were not what was needed because repayment was required after a semester or a year, rather than at the end of the degree course when a student with a loan could start earning money to repay the sum borrowed.

Putting pressure on Government through the committee, some students suggested that there was a danger that some women students would succumb to inappropriate relationships with wealthy men ready to pay fees.

Midlands State University Student Representative Council acting president, Mr Leaon Mutakura said many students were struggling to raise the fees.

“At MSU, the fees have been set at $5 700, which is higher than what the Minister had gazetted. It is a threat and assault on higher education,” claimed Mr Mutakura.

Zimbabwe National Students Union president, Mr Takudzwa Ngaidzore said Prof Murwira did not consult stakeholders but only convened a meeting after he had announced the new fee structure.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Dr Takavafira Zhou suggested the fee rises were counter-productive and could lead to universities having lower revenue than they would have with a lower fee.

He said a drop in the number of enrolled students would see revenues fall and universities fail to fund important sectors like research, innovation and development. “University lecturers will be no better than high school teachers. This is likely to lower standards of learning and teaching at universities,” said Dr Zhou.

He said the new fees could create a situation where children from richer families would access tertiary education while the poor would languish at home destined to become employees of children from richer families.

PTUZ secretary general, Mr Raymond Majongwe said the worst affected by the fee hikes were children from disabled parents.

He said while others would hustle through moonlighting, disabled persons had no other alternative to raise fees.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer, Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said teachers might be unable to further their studies owing to the high fees.