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Fungai Lupande Mash Central Bureau
TERTIARY institutions in Mashonaland Central are failing to implement comprehensive sexual reproductive health programmes due to lack of resource centres on sexual reproductive health, while others do not allow the distribution of condoms due to their Christian values.

This emerged at a Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council Centres meeting with tertiary institutions to deliberate and agree on strategies to strengthen delivery of a comprehensive sexual reproductive education.

The meeting was also aimed at finding solutions on the provision of youth friendly clinical sexual reproductive health services.

ZNFPC’s Mashonaland Central provincial manager Mr Nemisio Shoniwa said tertiary institutions, mainly those surrounded by farms and mines, had a huge concentration of adult students and control was not as tight like at high schools.

“Tertiary institutions in the province don’t have resource centres. Most of these institutions do not have functional clinics, sexual reproductive health services and products,” he said.

“These students do not have adequate accommodation and some abuse alcohol and drugs. Female students have multiple concurrent partners and suffer from peer pressure. Interventions are needed to curb what is happening in our tertiary institutions.”

Bindura University of Science Education coordinator for campus life and student development programmes, Mrs Dorothy Murasi, said the university had a comprehensive programme and plans to open a resource centre were at an advanced stage.

“We have monthly dialogue on SRH championed by SAYWHAT. We also have a wellness week for students, an initiative of the students. We have adopted a zero tolerance to sexual harassment although students are reluctant to open up about sexual harassment issues,” she said.

“We now have an off-campus coordinator who looks at the welfare of students who live off campus. We now have a compulsory course on HIV and AIDS which is important in giving adequate information for our students to make informed decisions.”

ZNFPC provincial marketing and communications officer, Mr Percival Kushure, said although Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University enrols students from all walks of life, it does not allow the distribution of condoms at its premises.

“Female students at Shamva Agriculture College have a negative attitude towards female condoms and their uptake is low. Some of the institutions lack youth friendly services causing students not to open up due to fear of victimisation,” said Mr Kushure.

“A clinic at Chamunika Vocational College is not well equipped and it is not manned by a qualified nurse. Representatives of different tertiary institutions resolved to consult and exchange ideas.”