South Sudanese Students in Zimbabwe: Letter to the minister for higher Education
Letter to Hon. Yien Oral Lam, minister for higher Education: Clarification of challenges facing South Sudanese students in Zimbabwe
By Eng Maker Makur, GWERU, Zimbabwe
January 6, 2018 (SSB) — On behalf of students in Zimbabwe and my own behalf, I would like to clarify and explain fully the position taken by South Sudanese students from 4 Universities of Midlands State University, Great Zimbabwe University, Chinhoyi University of Technology and Harare Institutes of Technology on the issue pertaining to our tuition, residents and feeding fees.
It was in February 2015 we arrived to Zimbabwe’s Universities mentioned above and National University of Science & Technology included on government scholarship. The government of South Sudan has been doing well until 2016 when some delayed of fees payment occurred which mostly affected students from 2 Universities of National University of Science & Technology and Harare Institutes of Technology while the other three Universities are cooperating well with their students in terms of service provision and lectures on the same note.
As a result of government effort, some of us have so far reached the ending point where about 48 students will graduate this year and 82 students are on their internship who will graduate the following year as well as those doing Engineering, Law and Medicine will also finish in 2020 and this is a small group of about 18 students.
To be brief on our challenges, it was in March 2017 when students from Harare institutes who were mostly affected went to the embassy of the South Sudan to Zimbabwe and stayed there for about 45 days which later made the government of South Sudan to intervene and paid $500000 as first installments to the Universities.
On the same story the government of South Sudan is dealing with security issues which led to delay of the half of the previous amount that was to be paid in August last year and up to now the government is working hard to make that payment, because the minister of Higher Education has promised to do so.
We also appreciate the the president of the republic of South Sudan H:E Gen,Salva Kiir Mayardit ,the minister of finance minister Hon : Steven Dhieu Dau and the minister of higher education Hon: Yien Oral for their continuous support for our studies.
As students in Zimbabwe, there is no single University that has ever tempered to chase us out of the institution but it is food issue that drives us out to the embassy for assistance.
A week ago, 29 students from National University of Science & Technology went to the embassy and they are still there up to now because of food and we request the government to pay feeding fees for these 29 and other 28 students from Harare Institutes of Technology that makes a total of 47 out 148 students in Zimbabwe as we wait for the full coverage of other fees including tuition.
As students from Midlands State University, we support legal and peaceful means of expressing our challenges to the government and therefore, any violence or closing down of the embassy is out of our interest and to be frank we condemn any student who temper to go to the embassy, leave alone shutting down the embassy and that student or groups of students will be treated individually based on his /her/their decision and act.
In short, we are University students and we can be part and parcel of government decision’s making as long as our government is promising to provide our services.
Finally, as students in Zimbabwe we stand behind our government in all aspects and any group of students who think negatively against the government processes/programs c will always be denounced and condemned.
THANKS
Maker Makur Mager
Cc: Education Attachie
Cc: South Sudanese Student’s Union in Zimbabwe
Cc: Great Zimbabwe University
Cc: Chinhoyi University of Technology
Cc: Harare Institute of Technology
Cc: the file
You can reach the author via his email: Eng Maker Makur makermakur5@gmail.com
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