Published by the government of Zimbabwe
9 September 2009
Harare — GOVERNMENT'S cadetship programme is still open and students are free to apply for fees under the programme, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Dr Stan Mudenge said yesterday it was Government's priority to improve the welfare of students at tertiary institutions. He reiterated that no student should be turned away for not paying fees.
Minister Mudenge said last year he asked students to apply for fees under the cadetship programme but some of them had been misled into believing that the cadetship programme was not good because they would be bonded.
Now most of the students are desperate for money to pay for their fees as they cannot afford the fees being charged by universities and colleges. Minister Mudenge said students who fail to raise fees were welcome to apply for cadetship.
He made the remarks while responding to a petition by the Zimbabwe National Students Union. The student's representative body had lobbied Government to increase the budgetary allocation to the ministry and address students' grievances with immediate effect.
"We expect the Government to look at accommodation fees, grants, medical aid scheme, working conditions of lecturers and other areas as far as education is concerned," said Zinasu advocacy officer, Francisca Midzi.
In his response, the minister said his ministry's primary mandate was to fight for the students' welfare and ensure education standards were maintained.
"As the ministry, we also promised to look into the students' well-being and intervene when problems arise. "This principle was outlined in Parliament and in public that it will remain the guiding position to the tertiary education sector.
"No student should be turned away for not paying fees as I earlier on mentioned, no matter who is in tertiary education. "We demand that every student has the right to sit for exams when he or she has completed the course.
"It is not a crime for someone to be born poor and this system shall make it possible for everyone to get educated without exception," said Minister Mudenge.
Tuition fees at State universities range between US$400 and US$700 and US$150 and US$400 at polytechnics and teachers' colleges.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
