Education a preserve for the elite

A number of students from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) face the possibility of deferring studies for a year after the institution’s authorities threatened that students who fail to make a down payment of $200 for fees by 13 February 2012 will be sent away. BPRA condemns this move as a sign of commercialisation of education. Disadvantaged students that are not under the cadetship programme may be forced to drop out as education is slowly becoming a preserve for the elite. Students at the  institution said the authorities should consider that majority of the population is informally employed while most employees earn salaries below the poverty datum line. In solidarity with Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (ZINASU), BPRA recommends that the government should reintroduce the students’ grant system. The system will not only alleviate the suffering of the parents in raising fees but will also assist students to progress. While BPRA consults Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights for advice, it also urges the responsible authorities to ensure an extension of this semester’s registration period and allow students to make binding long term payment plans. NUST authorities should also consult widely (with students, parents, guardians, stakeholders) and produce a standard policy regarding registration requirements.