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Zimbabwe Students Petition the UN
Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR)
March 24, 2003

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The United Nations (UN) has been asked to take action and intervene to assist students in Zimbabwe. In a strongly-worded petition, the Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (ZINASU) told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, that they were concerned at the manner in which the government responded to students grievances and requested UN intervention.

ZINASU said it had tried to engage the government in dialogue but had failed, "We wrote petitions, boycotted classes and demonstrated in demand of education, but there is no improvement," ZINASU commented further that the complete disregard shown by the Zimbabwean government towards student’s rights to education and other chartered human rights, was an extension of their lack of respect towards the rights of the majority of Zimbabwean people.

The students’ union said it was concerned at the government’s priorities which made education "play second fiddle" to other sectors. They stand "We cannot continue suffering when the children of the ruling elite are getting quality education in Europe. We cannot rest our brains when the government buys bullets, guns, tear-gas and armoured cars to choke us, when education and health services have been grounded."

The petition is the latest in a series of strategies undertaken by ZINASU to raise international awareness and support for the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe.

The petition, copied to the Southern African Development Community secretary-general, the International Union of Students and the Parliament of Zimbabwe, said the government must address the issue of lowly-paid lecturers and make education affordable to the poor. ZINASU also condemned last week’s indefinite closure of the University of Zimbabwe, after the government failed to resolve a strike by lecturers over a 50 percent retention allowance.

Reconfirming their commitment to achieve change in Zimbabwe, ZINASU explained: "Secretary-General, we write to you with peace, justice and development. However, because it is more painful to see evil every day than it is to face bullets in pursuit of liberation, we will not sit and watch our future perish. We seek your assistance, as time is not on our side."

Visit the ZINASU fact sheet

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