Varsities help needy students under ‘work-for-fees’ plan

TERTIARY students struggling to pay fees should apply for the ‘work=for-fees’ programme under which they pay for their studies by working at their universities and colleges, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira, has said.

Already, the programme has been implemented successfully at the Midlands State University where 300 students are on the programme while at the University of Zimbabwe, many of those working in the industrial park are students earning money.

Prof Murwira told the National Assembly during a Question and Answer session recently that the programme has helped many students escape the financial squeeze.

Legislators had asked what steps Government is taking to address the issue of students from low-income families being barred from taking examinations due to non-payment of tuition fees.

“Our programmes at higher education are that all those students that are indigent, work for fees. This work for fees programme is where students who are unable to gather enough money to pay fees, are enrolled by the university into working for the university and then the university helps them to pay for the fees or waives the fees”.

The ‘work for fees’ programme was launched in 2019 as a pilot project, and has proved to be a valuable tool for students.

“If you go for example to Midlands State University, we have more than 300 students who are on this programme. However, one word of caution is that first of all, they have to own up. People shy away from asking for help, they must not,” Prof Murwira said.