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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Chief, Vho Stauze (David Mbedzi), has appealed to Government to urgently consider building a polytechnic college in Beitbridge town as part of expanding access to institutions of higher learning in the country.
The traditional leader said the situation in the district with a population of over 200 000 and 70 primary and 16 secondary schools was worrisome.
Chief Stauze said the high crime rate and HIV/Aids and the high level of prostitution in the town where most young adults have nothing to do was a cause for concern. He said numerous calls have been made to development agencies to take up investment opportunities in tertiary education and that the response has been lukewarm.
In an interview yesterday, Chief Stauze said the status quo in Beitbridge had resulted in children travelling for over 300km or to South Africa to access colleges and universities, a set-up which was cumbersome for most parents considering the current economic climate.
“As a traditional leader, my main concern which is giving me a headache is the state of education facilities in Beitbridge district,” said Chief Stauze.
“This is not the first time I am making such a request and definitely not the last time I am saying this. We need a polytechnic where our children and youths can take up training on any life changing course and empowering skills. These may include ICT, building, engineering, carpentry, textiles, catering, marketing, accounting, business management, purchasing, communication and hotel and tourism management among others.
“Having such a facility or facilities will ensure that our youths are equipped with different skills that will enable them to be employed in different companies and organisations locally without struggling to get into universities”.
He added: “In addition, we also want our children to get employed even if they don’t have Mathematics and related subjects. You will note that some people are not academically gifted but they do have different talents in arts or building or carpentry”.
The traditional leader said it was very critical for Government to look at the prospect of availing equal opportunities on access to basic needs among them higher education for all citizens countrywide.
Chief Stauze said pupils who have just completed high school should be encouraged to acquire good qualifications with relative ease for them to compete fairly on the national and world human resources markets.
“If we can have a polytechnic college, as a community leader, I will do everything to encourage young children and the youths in Beitbridge to fully utilise the institution.“It is disheartening to note that we are losing young children and the youth to drugs, prostitution, early marriages and brain drain and labour migration daily,” he said.
The chief said a new polytechnic college or university in Beitbridge would attract a lot of students including those from neighbouring districts in South Africa due to the town’s geographical location.
Online Reporter