The Undersecretary in Ministry of Higher Education has urged parents of students who have been chased out of the universities in Zimbabwe to raise money for their tickets back to Juba.

Some 150 students on government scholarship have occupied the embassy in Harare, demanding for their unpaid tuition fees for two years.

The students say they have been denied accommodation and lessons at their respective universities.

The undersecretary, Professor Bol Deng says the students have spent more than four days without lectures, accommodation and food by their respective institutions.

Prof. Deng says the ministry has presented the issue of the students to the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the President but there was no response.

He warned that the students will be starving if their parents don’t send money for their transport back to South Sudan.

“The ministry of finance is the one delaying because we have spoken a lot with them, even the minister have spoken to them. Later on we have decided to go to presidency but we did not get any response. This issue is well known by most of the institutions, the foreign affairs minister knows what’s going on through the embassy, also the presidency, and we did our part,” Prof. Deng says.

“Now we are asking the parents who are listening now to Eye Radio, if they get some money let them buy tickets to their sons and bring him back,” he said, adding, “If they can’t pay tuition fees they should not wait for the government to give something to those students and they should not leave their sons starving of hunger,” he said.

“Even those students can make a problem in the embassy. Up to this moment the government has not been able to fulfill its responsibility … the situation of the students is worsening [and] the government did not do its part.”

The chairperson of the students, Moses Kat has described the decision by the ministry to bring them back as heart breaking and unfortunate.

He says most of their their parents cannot afford even to raise the ticket fares the ministry is asking for.
“If that is the case it is so heartbreaking and is unfortunate because we are in third year and some of us are on attachment. If we are told to go back what do you think the students are going to do at home,” Mr Kat said.

“Secondly, our parents cannot take our responsibility because when we came we did sign on papers and the government stated that they will cater for all; for our fee and they will also be responsible for our tickets when we get back,” he said.

“Our parents are even not in position even to send $100 or $50 dollar.”

The students say they have been studying on government scholarship for three years now; their first batch graduated last year.