‘Students in arrears must write exams’ This file picture shows Best students at Morgan Zintec pose with their awards at the 39th graduation ceremony in Harare
Best students at Morgan Zintec pose with their awards at the 39th graduation ceremony in Harare yesterday

Best students at Morgan Zintec pose with their awards at the 39th graduation ceremony in Harare yesterday

Bianca Leboho and Reason Razao

Tertiary institutions should not bar students from writing examinations on the grounds of failure to pay tuition fees, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has said.Addressing graduands and delegates at Morgan ZINTEC’s 39th graduation ceremony, Prof Moyo said universities, teachers’ colleges, polytechnics and industrial training centres should desist from excluding students from writing examinations especially when they have attended lectures.

“In the first place, why do higher and tertiary institutions allow fees defaulters to attend lectures, submit assignments and write tests only to stop them from writing examinations at the end of the year or semester?” asked Prof Moyo.

He said vice chancellors and principals should manage the payment of tuition fees rationally through the use of methods such as withholding results instead of barring students from writing examinations.

“The ministry encourages all institutions to allow students to sit for examinations while appropriate payment arrangements are worked out between the institution and the students.”

Prof Moyo added that it was important for tertiary institutions to upgrade their administrative and accounting systems as the current systems had monotonous and untrustworthy manual student registration systems which created numerous challenges for students.

“Most tertiary institutions in the country have tedious and unreliable manual student fee registration systems, which have resulted in some students failing to write their examinations based on the pretext that they will be owing fees when in a number of cases, these are results of inaccurate records.

Prof Moyo said the situation was further worsened by the inefficient management of students’ welfare records, procurement and stores systems, problems which could be easily resolved through appropriate technological solutions whose time for implementation has come.

“It is pertinent for tertiary institutions to walk the talk when it comes to technological innovations and this can be managed through the rolling out of an effective Tertiary Education Management Information System (TEMIS) which will result in the creation of a responsive and flexible stemitic information linkage between the head office and tertiary institution.

“Government expects the automation of administrative and accounting systems of all tertiary institutions by the first quarter of the budget for 2017.

Prof Moyo congratulated the 872 teachers who graduated with Diploma of Education with the institution recording its highest ever pass rate which stood at 99 percent.

“The pass rate is the highest we have ever recorded and it is a reflection of the hard work, team work and commitment put in by our students and lecturers in the past three years,” said ZINTEC principal Mrs Agnes Dube.

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