UZ students cry foul over recent fees hike

STUDENTS at the University of Zimbabwe's (UZ) Faculty of Medicine are crying foul over the recent hike of their tuition fees from $773 to $1 043 per semester, saying the move was likely to cause some to defer their studies.

UZ Students Representative Committee (SRC) spokesperson, Tafadzwa Chabata, said the 30% fee hike by the institution was unjustified. The new fees structure comes into effect when UZ opens for the second semester next month.

"The UZ administration, through the senate, is supposed to consult us before it raises fees and, as the SRC, we were elected for the sole purpose of representing students and giving them a voice in college bodies such as the senate and fees revision committees where important issues such as to do with fees are discussed," Chabata said.

He said students were only informed of the increase last week through a letter signed by Vice-Chancellor Levy Nyagura.

According to the Zimbabwe National Students Union, over 12 000 students dropped out of higher learning institutions in the first quarter of 2016, as they could not raise the required tuition fees due to the shrinking economic environment.