Why is Zimbabwe comparing fees at local universities with those in the region when it refuses to compare salaries with those in the region – MP asks?

HON. NDEBELE:  Madam Speaker, when Ministers speak to the nation through this House, the understanding is they represent what is on the mind of the entire Cabinet. In January, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education in this House rightfully said as a matter of policy that any shift in terms of fees in tertiary institutions would be a function of affordability, reasonability, sustainability, as well as, other factors.  He said other factors relate to improved economic conditions.  We all wonder why our Government is prone to sudden policy shift.  What economic considerations have been taken on board?  What has changed to enable that shift in terms of our fees?  We are talking about children of teachers here who are failing to pay university fees, including MPs. We cannot afford to pay this.  What motivates this selfish consideration?

HON. ZIYAMBI:  Thank you Madam Speaker.  I want to thank the Hon. Member for expressing his feelings.  Madam Speaker Ma’am, there was no question that I could get from his statement, except to say that – [HON. NDEBELE:  I can rephrase it if you say there was no question.] – The only bit that I got Madam Speaker, I have responded to, to say that the fees were last reviewed two years ago.  Even if you look at the statement that was said by the Minister in January, a lot has happened and there is statistical evidence to show the movement that has happened in everything from January up to September where we are. So there is a lot of reasonability that was put in when those fees were reviewed and I still put it to the House Madam Speaker, that our fees structure is one of the cheapest around the region.  I thank you.

HON. HAMAUSWA:  On a point of order Madam Speaker.  My point of order relates to the issues surrounding fees in our country in tertiary and higher education institutions.  There has been a series of petitions from students from our higher and tertiary institutions.  As a result, as a Committee, we made a decision that we now need to have an all stakeholders workshop where we were going to focus not just on fees, but educational funding in the country and that request was shot down.  Now we received the petition again.

So I want to submit Madam Speaker, that this issue of fees has to be taken from a broader perspective to say what is our policy in terms of funding our education in Zimbabwe.  So my issue was that when we made a request, the request was rejected and it is also not true that the fees were last reviewed two years ago.  So this is the issue which is coming from time to time and the Government is proving to actually be failing to resolve this issue and we cannot continue to have one issue coming to the House through petitions, having seven petitions within maybe two or three years.  It is not right for the Government.

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