Zimbabwe Tertiary education faces challenges

The First semester in 2009, has been hit hard by low students turn out in Higher learning Institutions across the country of Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe, through the Minister of Tertiary and Higher education announced the fees that students are required to pay. All the fees in all colleges and university were pegged in Foreign Currency (US dollars)

Students from the faculty of Arts and humanities are expected to pay US$800 and Science faculty students are to pay US1200. In addition, all college students in Polytechnics and teachers training are expected to pay the range of US400 to US$600 depending whether the student is doing national certificate, national diploma or higher national diploma especially those from the Polytechnic.

In Gweru one of the state owned university were I am a lecturer, students have responded negatively to the introduction of US currency in paying their fees. The turnout has been poor and it is clear that only few students will make it. Our government has a torrid task of addressing this problem. Education is the backbone of development. Hence the government has to play a vital role to make education at tertiary level to be affordable.

At the moment things are promising to be better following the agreement that was reached by the main political parties in Zimbabwe. Teachers’ however continue to threaten not to return to work if the government does not take them serious.

Zimbabwe is a country which has proved to the world wide and to its citizens that anything can work under abnormal situation. The prices for the basic commodities are expensive, even in foreign currency as compared to the countries which uses that currency. For example a loaf of bread is ten rand, yet in South Africa it is five rand. One positive development which needs to be hailed is that the so called money changers have been booted out of play. People have ceased exchanging money since prices for the basic commodities are in foreign currency.

We stand to see whether the all inclusive government will be forth coming in reviving the Zimbabwean economy that has total collapsed. It is fortunate that the entire Zimbabwe received more rains, despite the fact that we had few farming inputs. We hope that Zimbabwean citizens have learnt a lesson not to invest too much powers to their leader and to fully trust who ever is leading them that their rights will be respected