ZIMBABWE - HARARE - Government yesterday approved new fees structures for higher and tertiary education as it seeks to make education affordable to students.

 

The development will be a relief to many as several colleges and universities had raised fees to levels beyond the reach of many.

 

 

Announcing the new fees structures in Harare yesterday, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Stan Mudenge said students at Polytechnics would now pay US$100 from US$200 a term for a national certificate, US$150 from US$500 for a national diploma and US$200 from US$600 for a higher national diploma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Teachers’ colleges students will pay US150 down from US$500 Students studying for a Bachelor of Technology degree at Polytechnics have been reduced from US$1 200 to US$350. Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students have to fork out US$800 to US$300.

 

“Hard Sciences and Engineering students would now pay US$350 from US$1 200while those studying Medicine or Veterinary Sciences US$400 from US$1 600 a semester.

 

“That is now the official fee regime structure that will apply this semester,” Minister Mudenge said.

 

He said those who had paid less than the approved fees would top-up as the fees had been calculated after consultation with the Ministry of Finance while urging those who had paid more than the new fees regime to be reimbursed part of the money.

 

Describing the new fees as “still reasonably high”, Minister Mudenge said no student should be chased away for nonpayment of fees.

 

He said pegging fees in foreign currency would enable universities and colleges to address challenges at institutions of higher learning in the country.

Government has also announced new school calendar for both second and third term for 2009.

Secretary for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Dr Stephen Mahere yesterday said the schools would open a week earlier but however, closing dates for all the three terms would remain unchanged.

The second term that was scheduled to start on May 12 was moved to May 5 while the third term would start on September 2 instead of September 8.

“The Ministry also wishes to advise its valued stakeholders that the 2008 academic year will not be revisited and that the 208 public examinations will be processed to the end with all the candidates receiving their examination results and certificates,” he said.

 

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This year’s first term opened on January 27 instead of the scheduled January 13 to allow for marking of examinations.

 

However, the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council failed to attract enough markers and schools opened with new students using last year’s second term results regarding for Form One pupils.

 

 

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