Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza
IN 2022, Bachelor of Science HonIn 2022, Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Animal Science student Mr Pride Mzinja deferred his studies after facing financial difficulties in pursuing his academic career.
The then 22-year-old student from Nkayi District could only watch in agony as his dream of a career in animal science slipped through his fingers.
It took a timely intervention by Gwanda State University (GSU) to save the situation and firmly set his academic aspirations back on track.
That year, the university introduced a ‘Work For Fees Programme’ designed to assist students from less privileged families with funds for tuition.
Selected students are hired by the university to work and earn money to pay for their education.
Yesterday, at the GSU 4th graduation ceremony at Epoch Mine in Filabusi, Vice Chancellor Professor Doreen Zandile Moyo explained to President Mnangagwa, who capped 69 graduates, how the programme has assisted multiple students to date.
“Your Excellency and Chancellor, we are exceedingly delighted to report that the number of students under the Work for Fees Programme increased from six in 2024 to 19 in 2025,” she said.
“The programme has immensely benefited students who were on the verge of abandoning their studies due to financial challenges,” said Prof Moyo.
In an interview on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, the first student to benefit from the programme, Mr Mzinja, expressed that he had lost all hope when he could not pay his fees and had to leave campus back in 2022.
“The university was impressed with my academic record, and when I failed to pay tuition and was forced to defer my studies, the management called and informed me about a new programme called ‘Work for Fees,’” he said.
“I was the first student to be accepted under that programme and seized the opportunity with both hands. I’m happy that today I stand before everyone as a testament that such programmes offer a lifeline to students who struggle to pay tuition,” said Mr Mzinja.
“This year, the programme has grown to help 19 students who will also graduate one day and share their own stories about how Gwanda State University gave them hope.”
Mr Mzinja lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by his grandparents. He graduated with a first-class degree and was awarded the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Chancellor’s Award, walking away with US$1,000 for being the overall best graduating male student.
He also received US$400 for having the most innovative research project in the Department of Animal Production and Health, as recognised by the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Chancellor’s Award.
Standing in front of thousands, including parents and relatives of the graduates, Cabinet Ministers, politicians, and traditional leaders, after being capped by President Mnangagwa is a memory he will cherish forever.
The GSU grounds transformed into an arena of celebration as parents and relatives of graduates erupted in ululation while the 69 graduates took turns at the podium to receive their academic badges of honour from President Mnangagwa.
The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Dr Frederick Shava, the Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, along with politicians and traditional leaders.
