via Govt to wean off universities | The Herald May 25, 2015 by Abigail Mawonde
GOVERNMENT is considering weaning off State universities or make them meet a certain percentage of salaries for their staff, The Herald has learnt.
Higher and Tertiary, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Dr Godfrey Gandawa confirmed the development in an interview recently.
“I can confirm that Government has come up with a proposal to either have State universities meeting a certain percentage of their salaries or to wean them off completely,” he said.
However, the issue is still going to be deliberated in Cabinet.
Some sources claimed that Government intended to implement the measure as early as July.
“As from July, universities will no longer be receiving any funds from Government. Government wants the institutions to stand on their own,” said a source.
Government funds State universities through grants and pays salaries for lecturers.
Analysts say the move, if implemented, was likely to cause an increase in fees with universities passing on the burden to students.
Mr Joseph Sagwati said the move was imprudent.
“It is an ill-advised move as universities are already poor. It will be difficult for them to sustain a wage bill for lecturers’ salaries as well as administration staff,” he said.
“In the event that they consider adopting this policy, it will compel universities to increase fees, which will affect many parents.”
Mr Brains Muchemwa said the decision would literally close the door on most rural students.
“The move, in as much as it is going to conserve cash for the Government, is very unfortunate from the perspective that it is going to make university education a privilege and a preserve for the very few elite at a time when most households are facing challenges due to the high unemployment rate,” he said.
“It is important for policy makers to understand that they themselves are beneficiaries of a free university education system without which — because some were raised in very poor families — they would not be sitting in the very public offices that allow them to make such retrogressive decisions.”
Mr Muchemwa urged the Government to focus on meeting fiscal savings from parastatals where money was being misappropriated and subsidise the education sector.
COMMENTS
Lots of money can be saved by anchoring Mugabe. By grounding that one person, lots of money will be saved to finance other sectors.
The challenge in Zimbabwe is that the working class children are the ones that attend these local universities. The ministers and the president’s sons and daughters attended and are still attending universities outside the country using the state’s resources especially the tax payer’s money. Most of these ministers never attended university and they want to make sure the status quo remains. The children of the marginalised will remain in the doldrums. They will dream of university but will never attend any universities. Education especially university is the state’s responsibility because it is expensive.One thing the masses of Zimbabwe are not realising is that leadership in Zimbabwe is going the Monarch way. The sons and daughters of these ministers and their grandchildren are going to be suppressing our sons and daughters because they are the ones who will have had the opportunity to get quality and higher education whilst the masses suffer. For as long as we have something with the blood of Zanu PF education will remain a scarce commodity. Worse still the universities are not user friendly because they are all managed by Zanu PF puppets. Their main agenda is to make sure that education is beyond reach to the peasant’s daughter and son. Companies are closing hence opportunities for scholarships are next to none. If as Zimbabweans we do not realise and take action against this move truly our universities will be for other students from across the boarders. The electorate should use its power get things right. Grace and Chinamasa are trying their level best to make sure that the marginalised remain where they are and they perpetuate oppression. Its high time our eyes are opened and brains start working.
Which ministry is more important? Education or defense?
Start with Presidential Education fund and overseas trips first, ghost workers, overseas trips again, then parastatals, after which you can then only start to consider universities.