On the 24th of November 2011, Hon T Biti, finance minister allocated close to 60million United States dollars for grants and student loans. A grant is a cash handout to every student at every tertiary institution (universities and colleges) as part of the government’s responsibility of educating its young people. Student loans are and should be “a learn now pay latter” provision to allow uniform access to higher education regardless of one’s financial background.
Sadly, Mudenge, minister of higher education has decided not to avail these funds for easy universal access to students for no clear reasons.
He is playing cheap party politics with money that should benefit every student, politics aside. The grants were supposed to be available for access starting this January but the response from his ministry indicates that they might not be released anytime soon.We the students are suffering and need funding.
We need money for fees, for accommodation, for food, for general welfare including socializing and leisure. It is our right to receive this money now as it has been already allocated. The fees are too exorbitant and generally non-affordable. The cadetship scheme is mired with gross irregularities; beside being not accessible to all it has been politicized and the bonding conditions are not fare in this environment where jobs are not easy to find.
We therefore demand that the ministry gives us the money now!
Failure to give us this money will provoke serious actions of anger exhibition!!!!!!!!
Failure to give us this money will provoke serious actions of anger exhibition!!!!!!!!
