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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
LEGISLATORS have expressed concern over the fast deteriorating students’ welfare at institutions of higher learning due to inadequate accommodation and learning facilities which they say has lowered moral standards.

The law makers also noted that students on scholarship at universities in other countries were in a distressful situation and recommended the recalling of the scholarship fund to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development for better monitoring.

Presenting its budget analysis in Parliament last week, the portfolio committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development said students often resort to expensive rented accommodation which forces some to resort to prostitution for survival.

“The situation at most State universities and colleges indicates that there is inadequate accommodation, learning space and other supporting facilities. This results in some institutions compromising on the welfare of students by increasing room occupancy beyond the infrastructure’s capacity. This no doubt becomes a health hazard given the prevalence of airborne and diarrhoeal diseases where the carrying capacity is exceeded,” reads the committee’s report.

The committee said where institutions fail to provide the requisite infrastructure such as accommodation to students, the majority end up staying under crowded conditions in the vicinity.

“This also poses health challenges as well as results in some students resorting to unbecoming behaviour such as prostitution for survival. At the end of the day institutions of higher learning produce products of a poor moral quality which does not benefit our societies,” said the committee.

In its recommendations, the committee urged Government to prioritise construction of students’ accommodation and learning space.

“The growing number of universities is creating a challenge for student accommodation and learning space. The budget should consider increasing funding towards this critical area for the quality of our education to move in tandem with the need to attain an upper middle income status by 2030. Otherwise, this vision will be difficult to achieve, notwithstanding the fact that education is a catalyst for growth and modernisation,” said the committee.

The committee said students studying at foreign universities fell under the purview of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development.

“The country sends students out of the country every year to study in other countries. However, these students’ stipends are usually not sent on time, exposing them to economic hardships,” read the report.

The legislators said the scholarship fund presently housed in the President’s office makes it difficult for the Ministry to perform oversight role of provision of quality higher education to Zimbabwean citizens.

“The committee recommends that the fund be administered from the Ministry so that there is a close watch on the welfare of students studying outside Zimbabwe,” read the report.

The committee said the budget for new universities is too small and there was a need to increase it to finance the construction of three new State universities in Manicaland, Matabeleland South and Mashonaland East.

The committee said it had noted that salaries for college lecturers were too low compared to their counterparts at universities.

There was also a critical shortage of staff at universities.

“Traditionally, college lecturers used to earn 75 percent of salaries earned by their universities’ counterparts despite the fact that most of them have similar qualifications to those at universities,” read the report.

The committee recommended for the lifting of staff freeze for critical skills, scaling up of student’s loans and strengthening of financial management and accountability of State institutions.

– @AuxiliaK