11 Feb 2018

Parliament has been informed that colleges of education have been withholding academic certificates for former self sponsoring students who failed to fully pay tuition fees.

Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr Fidelis Molao said they did this to encourage students to pay outstanding fees which stood at over P491 000.

Mr Molao said on January 12 this year, the ministry communicated with all college principals to cease withholding former students’ certificates in order to enable them to seek employment and pay once they were in gainful employment.

“Institutions are currently working out the logistics to ensure that the former students and their parents or guardians commit to pay back what is owed,” he added.

Mr Molao said the ministry realised it would be difficult for former students to find employment without their certificates, hence the decision to release the certificates but with a binding commitment from the former students.

The MP for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy had asked if government was aware that government tertiary institutions withheld academic certificates for former students who failed to fully pay tuition fees despite such former students giving an undertaking that upon employment they would settle outstanding debts.

He also asked whether it was not discriminatory in that with the Ministry of Basic Education, former pupils were given their academic certificates upon the parents or guardians undertaking to settle the amounts owed. Ends