Sofia Mapuranga speaks to Joana Mamombe, the Gender and Human Rights Secretary for the Zimbabwe National Students Union, an organisation whose mission is to lobby and advocate for equal access to educational opportunities and a student-friendly environment.
SM: What are some of the challenges facing female students in Zimbabwe?
JM: We face a myriad of challenges. Of utmost concern is that female students have no opportunity to participate in student activism. They are not given the opportunity to take up leadership posts in Student Representative Councils (SRCs). Female students from most institutions of higher learning allege that when it comes to leadership posts, they are not allowed to contest for the presidency but only for deputy president’s posts.
Students from poor backgrounds have challenges paying their fees. The majority end up engaging in promiscuity because of poverty. One student had to drop out of college recently because her parents had decided to educate her brother because they could not afford to pay fees for the two of them.
Failure by government to avail grants on time has exacerbated the situation, forcing many to drop out.
Issues to do with sexual and reproductive health rights remain a major challenge in most tertiary institutions. At Harare Polytechnic College, for example, students lamented the unavailability of health personnel from whom they could seek medical advice and services in confidentiality.
Other issues include accommodation, sexual harassment and the victimisation of students affiliated to ZINASU.
SM: What is your organisation doing to address the leadership challenge?
JM: We are engaging female students and encouraging those who are interested in taking up leadership positions to come and get training on how best they can manoeuvre and take up these posts. We are also engaging students tertiary institutions to encourage each other to take up leadership posts. Identifying some of the challenges that they face and giving them the opportunity to come up with their own solutions through dialogue is important as a way of boosting their confidence.
SM: The issue of sexual harassment of female students by lecturers in colleges and universities has been raised over the years. How are you addressing this?
JM: Lecturers demanding sex for marks are being protected by their colleagues and deans. We are calling on government to appoint more female deans to ensure that female students can discuss all their challenges in confidence.
We also encourage students to open up and name and shame the culprits. The organisation is raising awareness on the issue and we are engaging the college authorities to address this challenge.
SM: What are some of the solutions that you have identified?
JM: There is need for government to ensure the introduction of grants and loans especially for the needy. We are surprised that our government prioritises the welfare of chiefs at the expense of students. Instead of awarding chiefs their demands, government should provide grants to students.
On accommodation, there are a lot of government properties that are under 99 year leases to private individuals. Such properties should be availed to tertiary institutions so that students can rent them at reasonable rates instead of the $80 per head that is being charged – despite sharing one room among six to eight people.
Local authorities such as the City of Harare should enter into a memorandum of understanding with landlords who are renting their houses to students so that they don’t overcharge. And they should ensure that students are not overcrowded and conditions are hygienic.
The state should take reasonable legislative and other measures within the limits of the resources available to them to enable every person to have access to adequate shelter as spelt out in Section 29 of the constitution.
SM: What is your organisation is doing to engage the government and college authorities to table your proposals?
JM: The Constitution is specific on a lot of issues regarding the rights of students. Section 59 of the Constitution states that every person has the right to demonstrate and present petitions ‘but these rights must be exercised peacefully’.
Plans are at an advanced stage to hold a peaceful march where we aim to petition government and table our demands. want government to reintroduce loans and grants like in the 1980s and 1990s. The majority of our leaders were given loans and grants during their college and university days, but the very same people are the ones that are not sensitive to the plight of students today.
SM: Are these plans an initiative of ZINASU?
JM: We recently held a National Summit attended by representatives of tertiary institutions and there was consensus that we should approach the relevant government ministries and table our concerns as the starting point. If our issues are not given the attention that they deserve, we will then hold the peaceful march. We are not looking forward to a situation where we are going to be clashing with anyone and this is why we say the march is going to be peaceful.
SM: What is your position regarding the debate around Grace Mugabe’s ‘doctorate’
JM: As much as we want female empowerment, it is important that such qualifications are awarded on merit. It is important for women, including those in leadership positions, to get academic recognition on merit and not to compromise those that work hard to get where they are.
Until we see the first lady’s thesis, we do not recognise her doctorate because we feel it was awarded under unclear circumstances.
Post published in: News