Zimbabwe government fails its university students
A statement released by the Youth Forum:
The sustained closure of the halls of residence at the University of Zimbabwe has caused untold suffering amongst the student community. The hostels have been unilaterally closed since 2008 and this has left many students stranded, something that can result in poor academic records and institutional output.
An investigation by Youth Forum’s Information Department revealed that students use an average of US$2 a day for transport only. This is because they have to commute into the Central Business District first before they travel to Mount Pleasant, where the university is located, add to this money for food and the daily expenses get out of reach of many poor students. The few students who manage to get accommodation in the surrounding areas are being outrageously overcharged. Many students are missing lectures due to this immoral closure of the halls of residence. Tafadzwa, a Second year Law student said he takes turns to turn up at the campus with his friends and exchange notes and involve in discussions at the weekend to catch up with others.
Female students are the worst hit by this crisis as they are taken advantage of by the affluent of the city. A third year female Accounting student, who requested anonymity for fear of victimization and stigmatization by fellow students, confessed she got involved in two sexual relationships in 2010 to supplement her studies. She was later diagnosed with a Sexually Transmitted Disease she blames on these two relationships. This stark reality flies in the face of this years’ International Women’s Day Commemorations’ whose theme was “Equal Access to Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women”.
What compounds the problem is the fact that the closure of the hostels automatically leads to the non-operation of the students’ dining halls. Students currently have to buy food from unscrupulous business people who have no qualifications whatsoever in catering. It is only a matter of time before a cholera outbreak is reported at the country’s oldest university; the food being sold is not only of substandard but also prepared in environments whose hygienic standards only God knows.
It is a prerequisite of any institution of higher learning to provide academic studies as well as an environment that is conducive for learning. The conditions at the UZ cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be considered conducive for serious learning.
The Youth Forum is currently working with progressive students unions to ensure that students of Zimbabwe learn in an environment that allows them to become accomplished future leaders of the nation. The Zimbabwe National Students’ Union Secretary General Vivid Gwede, in consultation with the Youth Forum and other liberal youth organizations, made a presentation to the parliamentary portfolio responsible for higher education on the state of the service and made solid reccommendations and we will keep monitoring progress.
Youth Forum Information and Publicity Department