Zimbabwe agrees to release academic certificates of South Sudanese students – Changson

JUBA – The government of Zimbabwe has agreed to release academic certificates of South Sudanese students that were withheld by the Zimbabwean government over financial arrears, according to South Sudan’s minister of higher education Gabriel Changson Chang.

Zimbabwe has since 2019 been withholding academic certificates of South Sudanese students who were studying in Zimbabwe universities under government-sponsored scholarships.

It remains unclear the how much the South Sudan government owed its Zimbabwean counterparts.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Sunday in Juba, Changson said he was in Zimbabwe last Friday to discuss the matter with the authorities there and the government of Zimbabwe has handed over the certificates to the ministry of higher education.

“I was in Zimbabwe for two days and met the authorities there and discussed with them the issue of the students who have their certificates being withheld by the ministry [of education] there,” he said.

“Today, I am happy to announce that the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe has agreed to release the documents and has already done that when I was there,” Changson said.

The senior government official also said the two countries are working towards strengthening ties in the education sector adding that the two countries are expected to sign a new cooperation agreement.

“We are working on a range of issues in the educational sectors which are of mutual interest and as such we are signing a new cooperation agreement in the near future,” Changson who is an opposition leader said.