ZIMBABWEAN students studying on State scholarships in
Algeria have, for the umpteenth time, made an impassioned plea to President
Emmerson Mnangagwa to look into their welfare, which is now dire, as they are
struggling to live decently without government stipends.
For years, the government has persistently failed to pay
students’ yearly stipends. In various SOS tweets, the students said they had
exhausted all channels of communication for government intervention to no
avail.
The scholarship to Algeria, which is meant for students
from disadvantaged families, has been fraught with challenges for years, with
the government failing to pay the $3 000 annual stipends.
“Our government promised to give us annual stipends of $3
000 every year to cater for our welfare, however, it turned out that no such
money was disbursed since 2015. Our lives have become difficult and unbearable.
We are halfway through the academic year and we haven’t received a penny,” one
student, who requested anonymity, said.
In December last year, the students’ representative
committee met with principals from the Office of the President and Cabinet.
“We were told to leave the past into the past, but how can
I forget when the debt I incurred is still there? I am in the first year and
can’t take care of myself because I am an orphan,” another student said in one
of the several heart-breaking tweets.
Some of the students, in a bid to earn some cash, said they
have resorted to menial jobs, but are being short-changed because their permits
are strictly for education purposes.
“Some of us are working in construction sites where we are
paid $4 per day for nine hours and at times we are arrested after being
perceived as immigrants,” said one of the students.
“We are living from hand to mouth, begging from other
nationalities, while some have had their gadgets confiscated for failing to pay
off debts after borrowing from colleagues.”
Hardest hit are female students who are struggling for
basic needs like sanitary wear.
“As female students, we are desperate for help. If you had
told us the truth, we would not have accepted these offers. Our lack of
stipends has affected our reproductive health as sanitary wear and toiletries
have become a luxury we are unable to afford,” said the students.
The female students said as a result, their dignity had
been lost. The students said their patience was running thin and they felt like
government had just dumped them in a foreign land.
“We have a contract and if the whole government can’t play
its part, what precedence is that for our future generations?” they said.
Final year students said they needed money to do projects
and carry out sound research.
Information ministry secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana promised
to look into the issue. Newsday
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