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State of the education sector: Week ending April 24, 2009
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU)
April 27, 2009

1. General Comment

Despite the announcement by the Minister of Higher Education Stan Mudenge that students are to be allowed to sit for examinations even without the payment of tuition fees college authorities in various institutions have gone ahead and ordered students to pay high tuition fees before being allowed to sit for examinations. Students at the Great Zimbabwe University demonstrated over the high tuition fees that the college authorities had ordered the students to pay by the 17th of April 2009.

Furtethermore there has also been a serious increase in the number of student arrests in tertiary institutions. In Masvingo at the Great Zimbabwe University 22 students were arrested after peacefully protesting over the high tuition fees that were ordered to pay. This is a violation of the freedom of expression.

Students are being abused and thier rights are being violated as they are being held in police custody for longer than necessary with the police delaying their appearance in court. An example is that of Mr. Courage Ngwarai who has been in the custody of the police in Masvingo since Tuesday 21 April 2009. The police fear that the release of Courage will fuel more demonstrations over the high tuition fees.

2. ZINASU Response - NACAPEZ

ZINASU condemns in the strongest of terms the continued victimization and violations of student rights at a time when everyone was celebrating the coming of the inclusive government. In this regard, the students insist that they are yet to see deliverables from the new government of national unity. The students remain optimistic that the inclusive government will improve their conditions and loosen primitive measures which the police have taken against innocent and peaceful students protests. The students still anticipate real and actual governance reforms which will uphold the rule of law, protect every citizen`s right to express themselves and guarantee this freedom under law. There is no greater asset for a nation in need of reconstruction like Zimbabwe than an educated young human resource base.

3. Appointment of Council of Higher Education

A council of higher education responsible for the registration and accreditation of universities has been appointed with the council being chaired by Professor Christopher Chitsanga. The council was established by an Act of Parliament. The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Dr Stan Mudenge made the announcement on Wednesday the 22nd of April. The council wields governance and executive authority over the quality assurance in university education in the country among other duties. The main objective of this council is to improve the quality of education in the country through the implementation of stringent quality control mechanisms. The council will sustain and guarantee quality assurance in university education by accrediting, monitoring and advancing quality at all universities in Zimbabwe.

4. Masvingo: ZINASU launches National Campaign Against Privatisation of Education in Zimbabwe (NACAPEZ)

ZINASU launched the NACAPEZ campaign on the 20th of April 2009 in Masvingo. NACAPEZ is a rebrand of NACADEZ-National Campaign Against Dollarization of Education in Zimbabwe a campaign that was launched by ZINASU and ran from January -March 2009. The students were addressed at the Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) campus by Courage Ngwarai the ZINASU Secretary of Legal Affairs and Social Welfare and other student leaders who were present at the launch of the campaign. The launch coincided with a demonstration staged at the university on the same day. The campaign seeks to address the following key issues:

• The charging of exorbitant fees which the majority of students cannot afford(the fees are ranging from USD 100- USD650)
• Deregistration of students who can not afford to pay tuition fees
• The barring of students from writing examinations after failure to pay tuition fees in full
• The failure by Government to fund the cadetship programme successfully
• Violent reactions and the arrests of students by police after peaceful demonstrations staged by students
• The suspension of student activists and leaders by the college authorities

During this campaign ZINASU will continue engaging the government to come up with a lasting and favorable solution which will make education affordable to all and guarantee the respect of students' rights.

5. Great Zimbabwe University students demonstrate

Students at GZU took to the streets on the 20th of April 2009 to peacefully demonstrate over the issue of exorbitant fees and deregistration of students who had failed to pay before the due date, which was the 17th of April. About six hundred students marched from the campus to the Civic centre after attending a Union meeting chaired by the ZINASU Secretary for Legal Affairs and Social Welfare, Mr. Courage Ngwarai at the campus. The students were also addressed by the students' executive council Presidential candidate Mr. Tafadzwa Kutya, the students Provincial Chairman Mr. Ngoni Chuma and other union leaders. Other issues raised at the meeting included the abuse of college property by the college authorities for example the bus donated to students by government. The Vice-Chancellor has reserved the bus for the transportation of staff, at the expense of students who commute to the campus 5km out of town everyday with some missing lectures.

6. ZINASU's Secretary for Legal Affairs arrested

ZINASU's Secretary for Legal Affairs Courage Ngwarai was arrested on Tuesday 21 April 2009, during a meeting with the Vice Chancellor Professor Maravanyika. The Professor had called the meeting with Courage to discuss the issue of fees that had led to the demonstration on Monday the 20th of April 2009. He was charged for malicious destruction of property, a case that dates back to 2007 and was implicated in a case of arson together with two other students, George Makamure, a former student leader at GZU and Ogliyve Makova the former SRC Treasurer. Courage had been issued with two warrants of arrest after he failed to appear in court for pending cases of protests that he led two years ago.

7. ZINASU Secretary for Legal Affairs still in custody

Masvingo-ZINASU Secretary for Legal Affairs Courage Ngwarai was still in custody on Wednesday the 22nd April 2009. The case failed to go before the courts as the officer in charge of the case was out of the office on official business. The lawyer representing Courage, Mr. Hwacha said it was highly likely that Courage would be fined for his failure to appear in court. Mr. Hwacha also said that he was trying his best to make sure that the case appears in court on the 23rd of April 2009. However Courage is yet to appear in court.

8. Bulawayo: Ten students suspended at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST)

The National University of Science and Technology yesterday suspended ten students after they led a demonstration on the 16th of April 2009.The students who demonstrated over high tuition fees were suspended for malicious destruction of property. The suspended were Kurayi Hoyi the Student Representative Council President, Former Secretary General Vivid Gwede, MukaiChigumo, Christopher Hwacha, Tawanda Saiti, Fortunate Karimanzira, Degray Ziramba, Michael Zimhamba and Taurai Chimwanza. The students were served with suspension letters on 22 April 2009, notifying them that they had been indefinitely suspended with immediate effect. The students were ordered not to attend lectures or examinations and were barred from entering the school campus until they had appeared before the college disciplinary committee at a date to be advised.

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