The University of Zambia (UNZA) Management would like to correct the alarming remarks in some media houses being attributed to the newly-elected University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) President, Mr Warren Hamusunga that about 17,000 students might not sit for the end of 2017/18 Academic Year which is scheduled to begin on 19th November 2018.
Firstly, we would like to indicate that UNZA has procedures and policies that govern its operations including the enrolment and registration of students as well as conducting of its examinations. Moreover, the Student Registration Policy clearly stipulates how students should be registered, pay for tuition fees online through the flexible payment mode.
Secondly, we would like to appeal to students, who are self-sponsored and those not fully-sponsored by Government, to take advantage of this flexible payment system which is stipulated as follows:
- First instalment : 37.5% of total tuition fees
- Second instalment : 25% of total tuition fees
- Third instalment : 25% of total tuition fees
- Fourth instalment : 12.5% of total tuition fees
For a student to be registered in the University, he/she must pay 37.5% of the total tuition fees. It should be noted that online registration for the University of Zambia begun on 27th November 2017 and ran up to 31st March 2018. The late registration was scheduled for 15th April 2018. Further, the public may wish to know that in July 2018 when students were writing their Mid-Year Examinations, UNZA Management had extended the registration period to students who had expressed willingness to register. This extension ran throughout the academic year and Management is of the view that the registration window was long enough for students’ sponsors and parents/guardians to make arrangements to pay for tuition fees.
Thirdly, we would like to explain the registration process. Each student has easy access to an online student portal. The portal has the following stages which all students are supposed to go through in order to be dully registered:
- Awaiting Student Input – at this stage, the student should clearly input or indicate online the courses he/she will take during a given academic year. Then he/she sends to his/her school/department for approval. The Student online status changes to Awaiting Approval.
- Awaiting Approval – the school/department has to approve the courses according to the capacity and entry points. Once approved, the status changes to Awaiting Payment.
- Awaiting Payment – at this level, the student has an option to pay either the entire tuition fees or pay through the flexible four-instalment payment. The payment is done through the bank whose details are given to students. After paying the fees either at once or the first instalment of 37.5%, the status changes to Registered.
- Registered – at this point the students are required to strictly adhere to the flexible payment mode as indicate above. In this way, students should be able to clear their tuition fees before writing their final examinations each academic year.
As of Wednesday, 14th November 2018, the summary statistics of the 2017/18 Academic Year on Student Registration is as shown below:
Registered = 13,679
Awaiting payment = 509
Awaiting Approval = 8
Awaiting Student Input = 785
From the above information, students in the last three columns should take advantage of the flexible payment so that they can be considered among the registered ones.
Fourthly, the UNZA Examination Guidelines and policy indicate that for any student to sit for any examinations conducted by the University, he/she must be a registered with Continuous Assessment which meet the high standards of the institution. Therefore, unregistered students, who are not appearing in the University Registration system, and have no Continuous Assessment DO NOT QUALIFY to write any UNZA Examinations.
Fifthly, it should be indicated here that the University of Zambia need these tuition fees to do the following:
- Pay for the University operations and maintenance expenses
- Pay for end of academic year examinations
- Pay for laboratory reagents and apparatuses
- Pay for internet services
- Pay for electricity, water and sanitation and solid waste management services
- Pay salaries for academic and non-academic staff
- Pay for regulatory obligations such as NAPSA, ZRA PAYE, Insurance
We would like to put on record that students have been continuously communicated to about the flexible payment mode for tuition fees. It is, therefore, incumbent upon students and their sponsors to honour their obligations and responsibility to pay for the services UNZA has been offering to them. It should be noted that these services are offered to them at a cost to the University.
Issued by:
Damaseke Chibale
Manager, Public Relations
The University of Zambia