By A Correspondent- Midlands State University (MSU) has imposed a mandatory vaccination policy on its students following a rise in new coronavirus infections across the country and the emergence of a new variant, Omicron.

In a notice to students dated 3 December 2021, MSU Deputy Registrar (Academic Affairs) Kudzaishe Mudzingwa said unvaccinated students will be required to take a COVID-19 PCR test twice a week.

Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) secretary-general Tapiwanashe Chiriga has condemned MSU’s mandatory vaccination policy, describing the move as discriminatory. Said Chiriga:

Our position remains as it has always been. While we encourage students to get vaccinated, the right to accessible and affordable education cannot be determined by vaccination status.

He warned that mandatory vaccination will only fuel the forging of vaccination cards as students try to avoid the jab while attending lectures.

The Government has hitherto desisted from imposing new restrictions in spite of a sharp rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases at the learning institutions.

Only last week more than 100 students at Masvingo Teachers’ College tested positive for the virus while at Lupane State University (LSU) 50 students tested positive for coronavirus.