Source: Sofia Mapuranga, NewsDay
THE Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (Zinasu) has threatened a crippling “Pens Down” strike at State-run institutions of higher learning next semester to force government to urgently address their funding challenges.
Zinasu president, Alister Pfunye told NewsDay at the weekend that the countrywide students’ strikes would begin next year.
“Our education system has slowly integrated into an elitist one, where those with money are the ones enjoying academic freedoms,” he said.
“As students, we are saying it is time that we advocate for academic freedoms and we are demanding that fees must be reduced and students must be granted opportunities.”
Pfunde accused education officials of focusing on “their stomachs and bedroom issues” at the expense of students’ welfare.
“We are saying enough is enough. Students have been used before, but not anymore. We are shutting down campuses because we want to revolutionarise 2017 and make it a year where we are going to see change in our circumstances,” he said.
Pfunye said like their South African counterparts’ “Fees Must Fall” campaign, the shutdown in Zimbabwe will be dubbed the “Pens Down” campaign.
“We have tried engaging the government to address issues such as the high cost of tertiary education and the harsh macro-economic environment, which has seen most students failing to access education, but our government is blind to our cause,” he said.
“The Constitution guarantees that we can protest in peace and this is what we are going to do,” he said.
Pfunye said because of the harsh macro-economic challenges, students were now engaging in vices such as prostitution to eke a living.
He said the students’ body was also advocating for the Presidential Scholarship scheme to be disbanded because it had been hijacked and was now a vehicle of corruption, leaving out the intended beneficiaries.
“The scheme is now partisan and it is now empowering those who are already empowered. It is benefitting children, whose parents have high positions within Zanu PF and those who are linked to ministers, while deserving students from poor families are marginalised,” he said.
Source: Sofia Mapuranga, NewsDay