South Sudan government said it will soon pay all the outstanding tuition fees demanded from its students who graduated from the various universities in Zimbabwe.
The Higher Education Minister, Yien Oral Lam Tut disclosed this after meeting Midlands State University’s substantive Vice Chancellor, Prof. Victor Ngonidzashe in Juba on Tuesday.
“We shed light on the situation of our students in Zimbabwe. We acknowledge that there were challenges hindering payment of tuition fees. The government of South Sudan is committed to pay the arrears of those students,” Lam said.
On his part, Prof. Ngonidzashe expressed happiness over the numbers of South Sudanese students who have graduated from Zimbabwe.
“We can confidently say their contribution to the nation’s development will be felt in the coming years. They will be our ambassadors in terms of what kind of education system based on quality and the relevance that is going to make a difference in this nation,” he said.
In June, South Sudanese students studying in five Zimbabwean universities occupied the embassy in protest against poor living conditions, while Juba confirmed they were aware of their demands.
Nearly 70 South Sudanese students have already graduated from the various Zimbabwe universities this year while 79 are still studying on scholarship.