Parents, students and concerned members of the civil society have kicked against the astronomical increase in the tuition fees of University of Zimbabwe for the August-December 2022 Semester.
The new fee structure by the University of Zimbabwe seen by News Central suggests that Engineering students are now required to pay at least ZWL$500,000.
Leader of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), Takudzwa Ngadziore rallied “young people” to demand a downward review of the fees.
“The recent fees structure at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) sends a strong message to young people. We should unite & fight this authoritarian regime.A dysfunctional education system is detrimental to National Development. #FeesMustFall should be the talk & walk @Zinasuzim FIGHT,” he charged.
Adding his voice, ZINASU national spokesperson Lenon Mazuru said the development is dicey for the state of education in the country, and the Union will respond appropriately in the days ahead.
A former Law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, Fadzayi Mahere —who is also the national spokesperson of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) decried the hike and said the “poor” will not be able to afford the fees.
Mahere called on authorities to review the fees downwards.
“The astronomical increase in fees by the @UniversityOfZim can only be described as criminal. This regime is anti-poor. A civil servant earns US$150 but has to pay ZWL$500,000 for an engineering student. That excludes living expenses. We need new leaders,” she said.
“49% of Zimbabweans live in extreme poverty. A civil servant barely earns $200,000 yet the UZ has pegged fees at between $500,000 and $1million. How will the poor afford this? @edmnangagwa has failed to deliver affordable, quality education for Zimbabweans.
“If you’re not outraged by the UZ fees hike, you’re not paying attention. Once upon a time, UZ education was free. Now, unemployed parents living in extreme poverty are asked to pay half a million dollars in fees. Is affordable, quality education too much to ask? #FeesMustFall”
Observers have said government policies in recent times has put education out of reach for the masses due to outrageous tuition fees.
Tuition fees have been going up in recent years with learning institutions citing the depreciation of the Zimbabwe dollar as reason for the hike.