The government of Zimbabwe has been called upon to provide psychosocial support to students in tertiary institutions as the recorded number of suicide cases continues to grow.
The call was made by the Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (ZICOSU) president Pigiwest Nhamburo while addressing fellow students at Kwekwe Polytechnic recently.
Nhamburo attributed the prevalence of suicide cases amongst students to a bevvy of hardships including high tuition fees, lack of accommodation and general support to withstand the high demands of college life. He said:
Suicide cases are now very prevalent amongst students in tertiary institutions because there is a lack of social support.
There is need for psychosocial support and we are calling on government to assist students.
A large number of students, compared to other years, is believed to have deferred their studies this year as tertiary institutions hiked their fees.
The government this year introduced students’ loans which are premised at assisting students finish their studies.
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