TWELVE National University of Science and Technology (Nust) students who participated in a demonstration at the institution earlier this year are set for a hearing today on allegations of uttering vulgar words and disturbing business of the administration.
LINDA CHINOBVA OWN CORRESPONDENT
Nust reportedly withheld the academic results of the 12. In March, more than 100 students staged a demonstration at the institution’s administration block protesting a go-slow by lecturers over a salary dispute resulting in parallel programme students going for a month without lectures. Zimbabwe Congress of Students’ Union president Farai Mteliso who is also among the 12, said Nust had issued letters informing them about the hearing.
“It is true that tomorrow (today) we will be going for a disciplinary hearing at the institution following the peaceful demonstration that we staged in March. We were issued with letters on July 19. Although we still do not understand why they took so long to act, we will go,” he said.
“However, the problem now is with our results. Why are they withholding our results? When we demonstrated, we were agitating for our right to education and now they are holding our results. We really wonder how our demonstration affected our results when they actually allowed us to write the exams,” he said.
Mteliso said the university risked being sued for tampering with the lives of students as some of those affected were set to graduate this year.
He said they did not understand why 12 students were selected out of more than 100 that participated in the demonstration.
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“We wonder what criteria the university used to summon us because we were more than 100. They will have to explain to us during the hearing what criteria they used,” he said.
Nust director of information and public relations Felix Moyo confirmed that the hearings would be held today, but said he could not comment about the alleged withholding of results.
“I can confirm that 12 students will be sitting for a disciplinary hearing tomorrow (today) following the demonstration held in March,” he said.
“However, I cannot comment on the withholding of the results as yet. I will have to check on that first.”
