STUDENTS and parents are up in arms with Great Zimbabwe University’s auto billing system which is reportedly charging those living off campus for using the institute’s accommodation facilities.
They are saying the institution is supposed to consult before imposing payment for accommodation on students who are not using campus residence.
Students using the GZU's Mashava campus described the charges as illegal because they are being forced to pay for a service they are not enjoying, adding that action must be taken urgently to address the situation.
“The university is forcing all students to stay in the university's residence. It has been a month since the commencement of the second semester and we were shocked to learn from our portals that we have to pay for the services which we are not using. This whole act is illegal and we demand the university to do something about it, urgently,” a student who spoke on condition of anonymity told Southern Eye.
The second semester tuition fees for GZU is US$480 depending on the programme, while accommodation for students staying in Mashava costs US$190 for sharing students and single accommodation goes for US$240.
Another student accused authorities of not having the students’ interests at heart, saying: “The institution has no right to impose this on all of us. I would like to think that we are adults and above all we come from different backgrounds. Some of us, cannot afford to stay on campus, that is why we resorted to off-campus residential places.”
“Now they have taken our tuition money and directed it towards accommodation, now there is nothing left on our portals. This act of auto billing us is really hurting us because we are not using campus residence, therefore, why should we pay for something we are not using?”
A parent also told Southern Eye that the matter was poorly handled by the university administration.
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“I would like to think that the university knows that students and parents are stakeholders of the university. Their actions, however, show that they don’t see us as such. This whole matter was poorly handled, we should have been consulted first,” she said.
GZU spokesperson Anderson Chipatiso said the university policy was that every student should use campus residence.
“Everyone using Mashava campus is expected to stay in campus residence and it is a requirement to pay this fee because we encourage every student to use campus residence so as to ensure their safety,” he said.
