Lusaka Health Institute alone has an estimated 123 first,
second and third-year nursing students, The Mirror was told.
Joseph Mukina an agent who processes applications for
Zimbabwean students said that there are at least 200 Zimbabwean students in
each of the 58 institutes of higher learning that he deals with. This brings
the total number of Zimbabwean students in the country to over 10,000.
A source at Chirundu Border Post said the flood of
Zimbabwean students crossing north into Zambia at the start of new semesters
cannot be ignored anymore.
An analyst who declined to be named said the migration of
students out of the country is a sign of a lack of confidence in the future. He
said it proves the economy has collapsed.
Another analyst said Zimbabwe is the most failed State with
millions of citizens all over the the region. He said Zimbabwe’s cold war with
Zambia is uncalled for.
It seemed unimaginable in the last few years that
Zimbabweans could flood Zambia, a far poorer country. Zimbabwean students have
over the years turned from one country for education to another as they find no
jobs after qualifying.
First, they turned in hordes to South Africa for higher
education but as huge regional populations started to affect job opportunities
in that country they started going to Poland four years ago and now it is
Zambia which is the new source of higher education.
Parents and students who spoke to The Mirror gave various
reasons why Zambia has become their first choice for education. They said that
Zambian universities are generally cheaper and fees are paid in the local
currency which is stable, unlike the Zimbabwean currency. The fees in Zambia
start from as little as $300.
Some students complain that Zimbabwean education is now of
poor quality because universities are more focused on making money. One
engineering student said that he left a State university here and went to
Zambia because one can finish a degree programme without ever setting foot in a
workshop. He left the university when he was in year two.
The highest intakes in Zambia are in nursing. The students
who spoke to The Mirror said programme restrictions in Zambia are less
stringent than in Zimbabwe. Unlike in Zimbabwe, students are not bonded after
completing a nursing course.
In Zambia, one can embark on a nursing programme even after
several O-level sittings, and students are allowed to resit their O-level
English while studying for a degree.
Medicine is another popular programme for Zimbabwean
students and this is because Zambians take students from 10 points, said a
source.
The Minister of Higher Education, Dr Amon Murwira said he
saw nothing wrong with Zimbabweans going to Zambia to further their education.
“People would want to twist the story to suit their
narrative, but the truth is that everyone has his own choice. We have a lot of
Zimbabweans studying in China and other countries and we also have a lot of
Zambians in our institutions of higher learning,” he said.
The Mirror, however, tried to establish whether Zimbabwe
has Zambians in its institutions of higher learning but found none. Foreign
students from the region who used to come to Zimbabwe because of political
instability in their countries are no longer around.
“I am a registered agent. I process scores of applications
every day. Programmes in Zambia begin at $300 upwards. Life is cheaper in
Zambia, because of the stable currency. Most people take nursing courses,” said
Mukina
He said that some of the popular institutions are Africa
University, Cavendish University (Lusaka), Central African Baptist University,
Chreso University, Copperstone University, Eden University, Gideon Robert
University, Information and Communications University (ICU), Lusaka Apex
Medical University, Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) (Lusaka).
Rusangu University, South Valley University, St.
Bonaventure University, Texila American University Zambia, UNICAF University,
University of Lusaka, Victoria Falls University of Technology (VFU), Zambia
Catholic University and Zambian Open University
Mukina said he processes hundreds of applications every
month from Zimbabweans seeking enrolment at Zambian colleges. Masvingo Mirror
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