By A Correspondent- The High Court has ordered the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) not to withhold students’ results on account of non-payment of tuition fees.

The UZ Students Representative Council (SRC) approached the courts challenging UZ’s decision to increase tuition fees in 2022.

UZ also restricted students’ access to the examination results via its online platform if they had not settled the arrears of tuition fees it had gazetted.

On Friday, 20 January, High Court judge, Justice Tawanda Chitapi, ordered UZ to release examination results to the concerned students and arrange a payment plan with them for outstanding fees.

Justice Chipato also froze the hike of fees by UZ pending the court case in which the students are arguing, through their lawyer Tendai Biti, that the increase was unconstitutional and unjustified. Said the judge:

Pending the delivery of judgment in Case No. HC 6194/22 reserved by Hon. Chitapi Jon 30 November 2022, the 1st respondent shall not enforce tuition fees set out in ordinance No. 63 dated 6 September 2022.

The 1st respondent is interdicted from withholding the release of results of the two applicants and other students represented by the 1st applicant on account of non-payment of the tuition fees set out in the ordinance.

The first applicant’s members and the second applicant shall however be required upon collection of their results to enter into payment arrangements with the first respondent in terms of which they undertake to pay the difference of the tuition fees set out in ordinance 63 and the previous semester fees levied before the ordinance. Each party bears its own cost.

UZ was cited as the first respondent with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary education as the second respondent. | NewZimbabwe.com