Over the years Zimbabwe has made strides in making sure that many students enroll at tertiary institutions with nearly fifteen universities under operation.

Though being ranked the nation with highest literacy rate in Africa, Zimbabwe is still facing a myriad of obstacles to provide enough hostels for the ever-growing number of students enrolling at universities.

By Linda Mujuru

The majority of the universities only offer accommodation for first year students while in some instances students have to find their own lodgings due to the high demand for accommodation.

Cases of prostitution, suicide, abortion just to mention but a few have been soaring in these tertiary institutions and this can only act as a benchmark to show that the girl child has been found wanting.

Speaking to a female first-year student who is currently studying at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT),who identified herself as Trish, she said the issue of accommodation has been impacting negatively on the girl child as landlords could use the loopholes as an advantage.

Trish said, “We were told to find accommodation outside campus due shortage of hostels within the campus, the problem is there is a lot of insecurity out there because the landlords can capitalize on the loopholes and rape us”.

Trish recently finished her first semester but she has been staying there but when she comes back the next semester which commence in August, she is burdened to find her own accommodation outside the confines of the university campus.

Another first year student at the same institution also consented on the sentiments but however she elaborated further citing the challenges they were facing to find accommodation.

Talent Tapera an erstwhile alumnus from the Midlands State University (MSU) said the problem of accommodation at the institution was worsening the vulnerability of the girl child.

Tapera said ,”The girls are resorting to prostitution as way of raising funds to be accommodated in the residential areas of Senga, Nehosho and the kopje, the responsible ministry should invest more on accommodation for girls on the university campus”.

Minister of Higher and Tertiary education Hon Oppah Muchinguru could not be reached for comment as her mobile phone was unreachable.

Recently MSU made screaming headlines in print media as a major contributor in the spreading of HIV/AIDS in Midlands province.