MANICALAND Senator David Chimhini (MDC-T) has demanded policy clarification from the government over an advertisement for scholarships in Egypt, which he said discriminated against people living with HIV and Aids.

The advert in question came out in several local newspapers and required testing for HIV for prospective students, who intended to study in the North African country.

“I want to believe there is co-operation between our country and Egypt, but they advertised for scholarships, saying one of the conditions is that people have to go for HIV tests – and is that not segregation?” Chimhini asked.

Higher and Tertiary Education deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa said there was nothing the government could do because several other countries besides Egypt had similar requirements.

“It is indeed true that Egypt requires that students who wish to study there go for HIV testing,” he said.

“There have been problems that have been associated with sending students with specific conditions like HIV to study in other countries that the country has encountered.”

The deputy minister said Egypt was trying to curb cases of HIV because the students, who get scholarships there stayed for up to five years.

“Even if one is travelling to study to China, there is a requirement that they get tested. They do not publish the results, but should the applicant be positive, they withdraw their applications,” Gandawa said.

He said prospective students living with HIV can be assisted by other countries that did not have policies that discriminate along health lines, or even opt to study at Zimbabwean universities. By Veneranda Langa. source-newsday