UNIVERSITY of Zimbabwe (UZ) students have petitioned Parliament seeking its intervention over the recent hefty tuition fees hike.
The UZ increased its fees by more than 600%, from $60 526 to $485 500 degree programmes, and up to $1million for masters programmes, a figure learners said was beyond their reach.
In the petition, the students said the fees were inconsiderate.
“The proposed tuition fees are not considerate to the other essential expenses every student has to go through. Most students are not from Harare which means they need to cover for their accommodation and with where the university campus is located, surrounded by low density suburbs, the accommodation charges are higher than US$50 per month,” the petition reads.
“The average salary of a civil servant is US$175. At that amount the majority of parents cannot afford to pay the proposed fees since they also have to cover for family basic expenses
“To consider our petition as an urgent matter and immediately intervene in the UZ fees making process to guarantee that the right to basic education is respected through the charging of affordable fees.”
They said the fees must be pegged at $200 000 and below for all degree programmes.
On Monday, UZ students protested at the campus over the heft fees.
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An emergency meeting was later held, but there was a deadlock.
In April, a number of UZ students were arrested for staging a protest against an increase in tuition fees.
