The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has increased accommodation fees from ZWL$71 000 to US$616 or the equivalent in local currency for the 2022 second semester (August to December).
Accommodation fees for the semester that ended on 22 July were equivalent to US$350.
In a notice to students, UZ acting registrar Munyaradzi Madambi said the deadline for the payment of the accommodation fees for next semester is 31 July. Said Madambi:
Those who have been offered on-campus accommodation for the August-December semester are required to pay the accommodation fees amounting to US$616 or its ZWL interbank rate equivalent at the time of payment.
The university has, therefore, maintained the rate of accommodation fees at US$5,50 per day or its Zimbabwe dollar equivalent for a 112-day semester.
As you are aware, the university has now changed its accommodation allocation policy, giving students the opportunity to apply for accommodation for the subsequent semester at the end of each semester.
Those who do not take up their offers on or before the above-mentioned deadline will have their provisionally allocated rooms revoked and extended to other students on the waiting list.
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) president Benon Ncube bemoaned the accommodation fees hike. He said:
The accommodation fee hike is not justified because this is a government institution.
US$616 is too much considering that many parents who send their children to universities get paid in local currency.
These fee hikes remain the biggest problem hindering students from completing their studies.
As it stands, rentals off campus are ranging from US$70 to US$150 per head per month.
They have also gone up to the extent that most students would not be able to afford.
More: NewsDay