Bulawayo Polytechnic is reportedly demanding fees from students exclusively in United States Dollars (USD) in violation of the government’s policy that stipulates that goods and services should be paid in local currency or foreign currencies in the country’s multi-currency basket.
A student who requested anonymity fearing victimisation from the institution’s authorities told CITE that on 04 January they received a memorandum requiring them to settle their fees in USD. Said the student:
The memo didn’t indicate the RTGS account details that give us an option of paying in local currency as we were used to. l had already paid part of my fees using the bank rate last year.
But when we went to Accounts this week to clear our arrears, we were informed we were not supposed to pay in RTGS as the fees were now strictly USD.
The student said the Accounts Department told them to “write an application letter for a refund then pay the fees in USD”.
Bulawayo Polytechnic has not officially informed students to pay fees strictly in USD apart from the accountant’s verbal announcement and the 04 January 2024 memo.
A concerned parent claimed they had already paid fees in Zimbabwe dollars (RTGS) and were told they would be refunded and have to pay again in USD. Said the parent:
I have a daughter doing a Diploma with Bulawayo Polytechnic. I paid for her school fees last year using RTGS after converting the USD fees using the prevailing exchange rate.
Surprisingly, I received a call from my daughter telling me the school bursar says the fees should be paid strictly in USD.
Forcing a currency is against the government’s practice. Last year the school had a memorandum that said fees can be paid in RTGS using the prevailing exchange rate.
What is worrying us is the school doesn’t want to hear anything from us as the parents.
Another guardian told CITE they had tried to engage the principal but she refused to entertain them. Said the guardian:
The principal was not in the mood to entertain us. I wanted to engage her and enlighten her on how unreasonable, unethical and illegal that practice is but unfortunately, she refused.
We then spoke to another Head of Department who said they can only inform us about the policy of the institution.
When contacted for comment by CITE, the institution’s public relations department said that Bulawayo Polytechnic Principal, Chiedza Masanganise, was travelling and would return next Monday.
Zimbabwe officially dollarised in April 2009 and adopted a basket of multiple currencies dominated by the United States dollar and South African rand.
In 2019, the Government announced the Zimbabwean dollar as the sole legal tender in the country through Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019.
The ban on the US dollar in domestic transactions was reversed with the promulgation of SI 85 of 2020, which allowed consumers to legally pay for goods and services using foreign currency.
In October 2023, the Government extended the multi-currency system, which was supposed to end in 2025, to 2030.
More: Pindula News