Peter Tanyanyiwa
The Government on the 30th and 31st of December 2020 published a new fees structure for all Polytechnics Teachers Colleges, Vocational training and the ITT in Zimbabwe.
The students and parents were and are still in great shock with this exorbitant fees hike in such a time of Covid-19, in a country dominated by the civil servants, the overburdened taxpayers, the country that is dominated by the informal sector that cannot report to work due to Covid.
The students’ leadership have questioned how can a government for the people do that to its own people. They say this fees structure came out without any consultations made by the ministry from the Students(SRC).
“We feel that the government should ensure that everyone has a right to education, fees cannot be raised at such a percentage without the consultation of student leaders or parents in this Covid period.
“With that cause, the students and parents joined voices together to call the Minister to reverse his decision decrease the fees with immediate effect. Fees increased by 300 percent from ZWL$10000-ZWL$40000 for state-owned institutions.
“The student leadership feels that this will be a direct violation against section 75 of the constitution of Zimbabwe, as the approach used by government is elitist and capitalism.
The student leadership has unanimously called on the Government to decrease fees to at least ZWL$18000 inclusive,” Harare Polytechnic SRC president Bruce Moyo.
Belvedere Technical Teachers College SRC president, also final year student, Zvikomborero Chikumbirike lamented that the students were now stuck due to the unjustifiable fees hikes and something must be done urgently.
“The college send us circular on the 31st of December for opening on January 4th then the college publishes an exorbitant and unrealistic fees structure today the opening day. The college is now denying students accommodation and also letters to produce at roadblocks. We are stuck here,” he said.
The Polytechnics, Teachers Colleges, Vocational training and the ITT in Zimbabwe that have written to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary education calling for the reduction of fees under the hashtag #FeesMustFall include Nyadire Teachers’ College, Msasa Industrial Training College, Belvedere Technical Teachers College, Morgan ZINTEC College, United College of Education, and Harare Polytechnic.