News / National
MDC students council raises red flag over fee hikes
10 Aug 2019 at 11:40hrs | Views
The MDC students council has raised concern over the recent hiking of fees by private schools, saying the move would deprive students of their right to education.
This development comes as private schools are benchmarking their fees, quoted in local currency against the United States dollar. The interbank rate currently sits at ZWL$9,41:US$1.
"As the MDC students council, we note with great disdain the fee hikes in institutions of learning, including primary and secondary schools. This is all the more disgusting considering the fact that the salaries of workers remain low and useless. In fact, they are dwindling as the bond note's value continues to slide in value against the US$," said council chairperson, Prince Gora, in a statement in Harare yesterday.
Gora said they were giving the government a week's ultimatum to address the welfare of students.
"We demand, unapologetically, that the government of Zimbabwe takes action within a week, failure of which the MDC students' council will lead students from all campuses across the country to exercise their constitutional rights and take the government to task for failing to uphold the social contract," he said.
He said power cuts were also affecting students, with the consequence likely to be a drop in the overall pass rates.
Gora said failure by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to introduce positive economic reforms had wrecked the economy, completely failing to turn it around.
"The ever deteriorating economy of Zimbabwe is affecting us students. Education is becoming more and more difficult to acquire. Is education for the rich only?
We say no and we will not stand by and do nothing while the junta drives us into a pit," Gora said.
He said education was a right in accordance with Section 75 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that it was accessible to every citizen.
"However, the avaricious and failing Government of Zimbabwe has actually caused it to be a burden to obtain education just as it is to obtain other life basics such as food, water, clothing and shelter. We call upon students from all over the country to rise and remind Zanu-PF of their failures," he said.
This development comes as private schools are benchmarking their fees, quoted in local currency against the United States dollar. The interbank rate currently sits at ZWL$9,41:US$1.
"As the MDC students council, we note with great disdain the fee hikes in institutions of learning, including primary and secondary schools. This is all the more disgusting considering the fact that the salaries of workers remain low and useless. In fact, they are dwindling as the bond note's value continues to slide in value against the US$," said council chairperson, Prince Gora, in a statement in Harare yesterday.
Gora said they were giving the government a week's ultimatum to address the welfare of students.
He said power cuts were also affecting students, with the consequence likely to be a drop in the overall pass rates.
Gora said failure by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to introduce positive economic reforms had wrecked the economy, completely failing to turn it around.
"The ever deteriorating economy of Zimbabwe is affecting us students. Education is becoming more and more difficult to acquire. Is education for the rich only?
We say no and we will not stand by and do nothing while the junta drives us into a pit," Gora said.
He said education was a right in accordance with Section 75 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that it was accessible to every citizen.
"However, the avaricious and failing Government of Zimbabwe has actually caused it to be a burden to obtain education just as it is to obtain other life basics such as food, water, clothing and shelter. We call upon students from all over the country to rise and remind Zanu-PF of their failures," he said.
Source - newsday
