BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE
NATIONAL University of Science and Technology (Nust) students, who are expecting to graduate on November 8, have petitioned their administration over exorbitant graduation fees which they described as more like punishment for learning at the institution.
Nust has pegged the graduation fees at $600 from $85, excluding graduation gown and food.In a petition dated October 1 and signed by the students representative council president Dennis Mwashita and his deputy Billy Muchiphisi, the graduands said the graduation fees were exorbitant.
“We the undersigned Nust graduands would like to express our discontentment following the unanticipated 700% increase in the graduation fee,” read the memo. “An amount of $600 is ludicrous, unbearable and was established without the consultation of the students.”
“We are not unmindful of the current economic downturn, but our parents are peasant and they haven’t had complementary increases in their salaries. We are appealing to your higher office to bid a commendable farewell to the future leaders and afford families and friends to celebrate the academic successes of their own by reviewing downwards the graduation fee to a reasonable and justifiable amount, which is a reflection of what other State universities are charging under the same economic hardships.
For instance, the University of Zimbabwe $240, Chinhoyi University of Technology $300, Great Zimbabwe University $350 and Midlands State University $300,” read the memo. “We recommend that, in your planning for the big day, eliminate unnecessary costs which are burdening your resources.”
The students said if their plea is ignored, they would demand that the event be postponed.Contacted for comment, Nust spokesperson Felix Moyo said he was busy and asked Southern Eye to send questions on his WhatsApp account, but had not responded by the time of going to print.
