The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
A total of 400 teachers on scholarship at Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo, under the Teacher Capacity Development Programme have been forced to defer studies after the Government reportedly failed to pay their tuition fees on time.
The teachers who were enrolled at the Robert Mugabe School of Education were barred from attending lectures at the beginning of the first semester of this year as they had not registered. They also owed fees from the previous semester.
Although the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education expressed ignorance on the development, Sunday News gathered that the fees arrears amount to more than $400 000.
The teachers’ tuition fees are being paid by United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) but the Government is reported to have delayed remitting the money to the university. GZU director of public relations Mr Anderson Chipatiso confirmed the developments on Friday.
“All the 400 students have deferred. They couldn’t proceed with their studies. They could not continue because they owed fees from the previous semester and had not paid fees for this current one to enable them to register.”
Mr Chipatiso said the teachers were set to continue with their studies next semester as efforts were being made to clear the fees arrears.
“As university policy, a student can only be registered when they are paid up. Registered students are the only ones who can attend class. I understand efforts are being made by the relevant bodies to clear the outstanding balance. As soon as they clear the outstanding balance the students can continue with their studies. They (teachers) will resume studies next semester once everything has been sorted,” said Mr Chipatiso.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said the Government was not aware of the development. She said it was surprising that the university made such a decision when the Government had paid fees in full for teachers on the scholarship programme.
“We paid the university at the end of May, in full. I’m surprised to hear that they (GZU) took such measures without engaging us.
“They are a State university after all. I don’t see why they had to take it on the students without taking it up with the ministry first,” she said.
Dr Utete-Masango said her ministry would engage the institution to establish what happened. The Teacher Capacity Development Programme, a brainchild of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, was launched by President Mugabe two years ago. Over 2 000 educators are enrolled at various State universities across the country studying towards different degrees under the scholarship programme.
The programme is aimed at upgrading teachers’ educational qualifications to effectively contribute to the new curriculum.
Bindura University of Science Education, GZU, Midlands State University and the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) are some of the universities that have partnered the Government in the programme.
Some of the programme’s beneficiaries who were studying towards post graduate diplomas in education with ZOU have since graduated. Under the programme, beneficiaries have their tuition covered by Government for the duration of their study and the money will not be deducted from their salaries, as they would be bonded and expected to work for the Government for a specified period.
@irielyan
