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Education is a right that must be enjoyed by every Zimbabwean child regardless of one’s social status. What this means therefore, is that education must be affordable to all and sundry. It would therefore be a violation of every Zimbabwean child’s right to education if education is made a preserve of the rich. The government has since independence in 1980, made great strides in ensuring that Zimbabwean children in both urban and rural areas access education. Many primary and secondary schools were built as well as colleges and universities.

The country today boasts of eight state universities, several private universities as well as many teachers’ and polytechnical colleges. The country is as a result churning out thousands of graduates every year from these institutions of higher learning. What is, however, disturbing is that tertiary education is slowly becoming a preserve of the rich because of the high tuition fees charged by these institutions. The situation is worse at private universities that are charging astronomical fees.

Fees at these private universities which are church-run range from $1,400 to $1,800 per semester which is not affordable to ordinary Zimbabwen children. Most of the children now attending these private universities are from rich families, an unacceptable state of affairs.

We totally agree with the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Professor Jonathan Moyo, that there is an urgent need to reduce the fees to affordable levels. Prof Moyo who has since visited all universities in the different corners of the country, said he had learnt that a number of students are dropping out because of the high fees.

He said the universities were shooting themselves in the foot by charging exorbitant fees which were forcing students to drop out. The Solusi University Vice Chancellor Professor Joel Musvosvi conceded that the fees which his university and other private universities were charging were very high. He also confirmed that his university was witnessing a drop in enrolment because of the high fees.

Minister Moyo said universities were using a distorted pricing model which is totally divorced from the prevailing economic realities hence the fees were astronomical. Most workers cannot afford the fees charged by universities given the level of salaries they are earning.

Universities as institutions of higher learning are supposed to show the way when it comes to interpreting economic realities. We want to therefore implore universities to, without delay, reduce their fees. Fees at state universities which average $600 per semester are again very high given that some of the students are children of peasant farmers.

We want to once again implore universities to immediately reduce fees so that they are affordable to the majority of Zimbabwean children, who as we have already alluded to, should enjoy their right to education.