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ZINASU Wins 2003 Student Peace Prize
Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR)
February 10, 2003

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ZINASU’s (the Zimbabwe National Student’s Union) fight for peace and human rights in Zimbabwe has received international recognition. The organisation has been awarded the Student Peace Prize 2003 by the International Student Festival in Trondheim. The ISFiT awards the Peace Price once every two years to a student or a student organization that has done a particular effort for democracy and human rights.

It was felt by the ISFiT’s committee that ZINASU had, since its funding in the late 1980’s, promoted the rights of students in their own country and, despite the constant threat faced by ZINASU members today, continues to play a key role in the fight for democracy. Recognising the broader social issues within Zimbabwe, ZINASU’s Secretary General, Mr Tinashe Chimedza, notes: ‘One cannot isolate student policy with other policies. As part of society, we have a common responsibility’.

Representatives from ZINASU have been invited to ISFiT to receive the prize on Thursday 13 March 2003, but lack of resources and travel restrictions imposed on ZINASU members are likely to make this impossible.

Mr Nkululeko Sibanda, President of ZINASU, observed: ‘For us it is an achievement, and we hope that we can be able to use it as a base to fight harder struggles for the improvement of people's lives in the rest of the world’.

Background Information
ZINASU was founded in the late 1980s and is one of the key actors in the fight against president Robert Mugabe's oppressive regime. Replacing his regime with a democratically elected government is one of their major visions. Mugabes increasing restrictions on human rights is reflected in the country’s education policy, and has caused major obstacles for students and opposition to this policy ahs met with severe repression (see previous NEAR alerts). Tuition-fees have doubled 30 times, prices on student accommodation have risen and ‘patriotic’ subjects have been implemented as part of a compulsory program for education. The students of ZINASU have been victims of torture, violence and other sanctions imposed by the political authorities of Zimbabwe. Before the election in 2002 many student demonstrators who were part of the opposition wee arrested. Some were killed and many were victims of violent abuse.

ISFiT organiser’s have commented that: ‘In addition to speaking on the rights of all students, they have proved to be a dynamic organisation speaking the rights of the people of Zimbabwe and fighting the struggle against poverty and AIDS. By keeping up a dialogue with other international student organizations, they have strengthened their dynamic focus even more’.

ZINASU continues to seek support for their organisation’s activities and funding for members who have been forced to undertake their education in other countries.

Visit the ZINASU fact sheet

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