To offset operational costs, state colleges in the country have hiked tuition fees in line with regional trends.
Lupane State University (LSU) announced its new price structure, which will take effect on August 1, 2022, with rates ranging from $179 000 to $472 500.
“The costs outlined in the LSU Fees Ordinance Number 1 of 2022 are in force from August 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Fees are assessed per semester. Students must pay 60% of their tuition and register “Students should be read a notice.
University of Lupane
Students in the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences will now pay $285 000 every semester, while those pursuing diplomas will pay $298 000.
This semester, students in the Faculty of Commerce are expected to spend $179 750. Post-graduate degree students will have to dig deep into their finances because they must pay significantly more than undergraduates, totaling $472 500.
While block release students must pay $40 000 prior to residence assignment, students in normal programs must pay $100 000 for housing. Zwelithini Dlamini, the head of marketing and public relations at LSU, claimed that levies rather than tuition rates had been altered.
“LSU only changed the fees for programs at the undergraduate level. Since the numbers had dropped too low and the institution was under pressure to offer top-notch instruction, this was done to maintain service provision to the students. Since these programs should be self-sustaining, only the postgraduate price structure was changed “explained he.
He claimed that the levies, which had been evaluated following consultation with students and the institution, could be hiked without the consent of the government.
“In our case, the fees weren’t increased; instead, we just increased the levies since they were too low to be sustained. These fees are the ones that go toward things that help students learn, including laptops and Wi-Fi. We discussed them with the students and then brought them up. The ministry would then need to approve the tuition “Mr. Dlamini added.
However, the University of Zimbabwe has suggested that students who are unable to pay their tuition fees must join in a work-study program that supports students who are unable to pay the expenses. Additionally, they have put in place ways to guarantee that students can pay their tuition in a convenient and adaptable way.
“The university has implemented the following flexible fee payment arrangements in response to submissions from our students; students who are unable to pay the entire amount are needed to pay last semester’s fees and proceed with registration before 30 September 2022. In order to identify poor students and create the proper support systems for them based on their needs, the university is also using a “means test.” “Dr. Munyaradzi Madambi, the acting registrar, stated.Discounts for tuition fees have also been implemented at UZ, with those who pay 100% of the fees receiving a 12.5 percent discount, those who pay 75% of the fees receiving a 10% discount, and those who can only afford to pay 50% of the fees receiving a 5% discount—but only if all payments are made by October 31. However, they insisted that no student would lose out on instructional time by failing to pay tuition or take exams.
National Science and Technology University
For undergraduate degrees, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has set a fee range of $270 420 to $284 700; for postgraduate degree programs, the range is $360 000 to $714 000 per semester. Additionally, the university stated that in order to register, 60 percent of the total fees must be paid. This means that students can set up payment plans to pay off their tuition.
President Mnangagwa stated last week that despite the large numbers of students enrolled in the institutions and the facility being accessible to all, students in tertiary institutions were not taking advantage of government-facilitated loans to pay for their education, with reports indicating that only 10,000 students had benefited to date.
As there were numerous channels and processes that could be used and explored to ensure that talented students from low-income homes were aided, President Mnangagwa also ordered all State colleges to look at methods to make the financial burden of attaining higher education manageable.