The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
GOVERNMENT has said students at universities and polytechnics have the freedom to pay their fees in any currency of their choice, including the local currency, in line with the country’s laws on the multi-currency regime.
This was revealed by the Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Simelisizwe Sibanda in interview yesterday where he noted that as government they had a number of apparatus in place to ensure that all students access education as well as the learning institutions maintaining their conducive status.
Deputy Minister Sibanda’s sentiments come after the High Court recently blocked the Midlands State University (MSU) from demanding fees solely in United States dollars and directed the institution to allow students to have the option to pay in local currency at the prevailing interbank rate.
The ruling by Harare High Court judge Justice Davison Foroma followed an urgent chamber applicant by three MSU students, Sabelo Saimano, Solomon Goredema and Simbarashe Muzorori.
The trio, which is studying towards a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), through their lawyers Wintertons Legal Practitioners, applied on an urgent basis at the High Court seeking an order compelling the university to allow them the option to pay the US component of their fees and levies in local currency at the prevailing interbank rate.
The Deputy Minister described the need for the issue to be resolved at the High Court as unfortunate as this was something which could have been easily fixed had the two bodies engaged in constructive dialogue.
“As a Ministry what we are reiterating is that we should at least pay university fees which will make our institutions develop. Government policy is clear in that we are in a multi-currency regime and no currency can be rejected in universities, the position is that all currencies are accepted.
“It is unfortunate that this situation went the route it took, which initially needed the university to sit with the student body and iron out without necessarily going to court. It is waste of money on the student side because we are saying they do not have money, now the little that they have is going to the lawyers,” he said.
Hon. Sibanda said all that was need was for the universities to explain their need for foreign currency noting that the two bodies were not rigid but all that was need was dialogue without the need for seeking the intervention of the courts.
The Deputy Minister further reiterated that while education was not free, the government had come up with various interventions to ensure that all students are able to attain the much needed education without being barred by failure to pay fees.
“For those students that cannot afford paying the university fees, there is the work-for-fees programme which caters for the less privileged students, taking from the President’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind. So if those children that cannot afford to pay, they can approach their universities to be included in this facility.
“The government has all the apparatus that are in place to ensure that the students access education at the same time ensuring that the universities remain conducive in offering the top notch education which we envisage for the development of our nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister also bemoaned the staff exodus being experienced at universities and colleges, with lecturers leaving to seek green pastures elsewhere.
“There are various bodies that look at lecturers’ welfare at universities and colleges, these bodies have been tasked with addressing this crucial issue of the welfare of the lectures so as to avoid this exodus. As a Ministry we are naturally concerned because lecturers are a key part in furthering our educational goals as a nation. We are also engaging with the public service to see what can be done to improve their welfare and no resort to resignations,” said Deputy Minister Sibanda.
