UZ Students Petition Parliament Over Tuition Fees Hike

University of Zimbabwe (UZ) students have petitioned Parliament seeking it to intervene over the recent sharp tuition fees hike and guarantee that they enjoy their right to education.

This comes after UZ increased its fees by more than 600%. Undergraduates will now pay $485 500, up from $60 526, while those studying for masters programmes will fork out $1 million per semester. Reads the petition:

The proposed tuition fees are not considerate of the other essential expenses every student has to go through.

Most students are not from Harare which means they need to cover their accommodation and with where the university campus is located, surrounded by low-density suburbs, the accommodation charges are higher than US$50 per month.

The average salary of a civil servant is US$175. At that amount, the majority of parents cannot afford to pay the proposed fees since they also have to cover family basic expenses.

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To consider our petition as an urgent matter and immediately intervene in the UZ fees-making process to guarantee that the right to basic education is respected through the charging of affordable fees.

The students said the tuition fees must be pegged at $200 000 and below for all degree programmes. | NewsDay