HARARE - Ministers of Higher and Tertiary Education, Stan Mudenge, and Finance, Tendai Biti The meeting was aimed at discussing the way forward on students loans and grants. Bit assured students that he would reconsider reintroducing them in his recent budget address.
After waiting for more than two hours and without any sign that the two would arrive, the students started singing revolutionary songs blasting President Robert Mugabe, Biti and Mudenge – accusing them of ignoring their plight.
According to ZINASUs secretary general, Joshua Chinyere, the government is still not taking students grievances seriously.
We wanted to seek clarification from both of them about our loans. As every body knows, students are struggling to make ends meet. The halls of residence have not been opened since 2007, he said.
MP Patterson Timba sourced $250,000 for the renovation of the hostels but up to now nothing has been done to complete the project.
Students are still commuting from far away places and rentals in surrounding suburbs are very expensive. The money to complete the halls of residence was sourced but the authorities are delaying, he said
A student leader from Bindura University, Tanaka Gavaza, also criticized the cadetship scheme introduced by the government as partisan. The scheme encourages students who cannot afford to pay their tuition to be bonded and work for a government institution until their fees are paid up.
Most of the students who are on cadetship are Zanu (PF) members, he said.
At Bindura University, there are only 15 computers at an institution were there are over 3000 students.
Efforts to get a comment from both Biti and Mudenge were fruitless as their phones were unreachable.
Post published in: News