Fee hikes ‘recipe for disaster’ – Zinasu

week that a further 150 000 students are not certain if they will be able to complete their studies.
Over the weekend government increased fees at state universities and colleges by between 300 and 2,000 percent. The news was greeted with strong condemnation by the opposition MDC, civil society and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.
The ZINASU President, who is still in hiding, has described the latest increases as a recipe for disaster.
“The latest hikes will trigger more revolts against the government. We are dealing with a rebellious government that views education as a secondary matter. This means they are throwing the country future into dustbins,” he said.
Mkwananzi said figures released by the government through its controlled media were far lower than the figures they got. According to the Sunday Mail, medical and veterinary students at state institutions will now be forced to pay Z$180,000 up from Z$44,000. Students at government-run industrial training centres will be forced to pay Z$42,000 per year, up from Z$2,000.
‘I think for propaganda purposes the government has released figures that are far below what students have been asked to pay. For the record, some students’ fees has risen to Z$590 000 up from Z$40 000 and why the government chooses to hide those figures from the press seems rather strange,’ added Mkwananzi. – SW Radio Africa