S. Sudan to settle unpaid fees for students in Zimbabwe

January 2, 2018 (WAU) – The South Sudanese government on Tuesday vowed to pay all the outstanding tuition fees demanded from its students currently studying on scholarship in Zimbabwe.

Last year, students occupied the South Sudanese embassy in the capital, Harare after universities threatened to dismiss to non-payment of tuition fees.

But South Sudan’s Minister of Higher Education Yien Oral Lam told assured the population that all the unpaid arrears would be sorted.

“The government is committed to pay out their tuition fees and living expenses during these holidays without fails,” Lam said.

“However we the government is worry over the delay in payment process, the finance ministry is currently on the process of delivery the money to the students in Zimbabwe and they have to be patient as the government working on clearing the process,” added.

According to the minister, the government has already paid a sum of 5,000 US Dollar as the first installment payment which is now follow by the last pay.

“In my last year visited to Zimbabwe in June, we paid $5,000 as the first installment. Also the cabinet ministers had directed the ministry of finance to release the money needed after the passing of the budget in August, but our budget delayed, it was passed in October last year,” stressed the minister.

“The ministry of higher education also wrote a letter to the finance ministry in August to release the money, but it seems there is a problem of hard currency, “he added.

Lam, however, appealed to the ministry of finance to expedite the release of funds for the students.

(ST)