The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) on Monday threatened to shut down universities and colleges if the Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Ministry turns down its request for dialogue over the various challenges faced by students.
ZINASU has condemned what it terms “out of reach” tuition fees and has requested talks with the ministry to prevent further drop-outs.
Emmanuel Sitima, the ZINASU president, on Monday, addressed students at ministry offices where he expressed frustration over the refusal of authorities to dialogue. He said (via NewsDay):
If they fail to respond within that time frame, Zinasu will have no other choice but to shut down institutions of higher learning.
We also held a multi-stakeholder meeting on February 27, which was attended by all stakeholders including the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, but the ministry decided not to come…
We have several requests that we have towards the minister for a meeting to be able to give him our views as a student union because we believe that he (Minister Amon Murwira) does not have a monopoly of ideas and solutions to the problems we are facing as students.
We are sons and daughters of peasants and civil servants who are anywhere below the poverty line.
Some students have repeatedly been forced to defer studies, drop out, or engage in social vices such as prostitution to fund their continued stay in college.
In March this year, Murwira said there was no free education and that students should engage in work-for-fees programmes.
