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Fungai Lupande-Mash Central Bureau
Bindura Municipality has committed to reviving a public library at Tendai Hall, which stopped functioning a decade ago to rejuvenate the reading culture among youths.
With a huge number of youth in the province turning to drug and substance abuse, Housing director Mrs Evelyn Madziire said the library will help in redirecting their attention to productive activities.
This comes after council received a consignment of 483 adult fiction books from Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) to assist them in resuscitating the public library.
Mrs Madziire said an information centre is a critical component of any town because knowledge is power and the drive towards vision 2030.
“Resuscitation plans for the public library were constantly on our annual budgets, but finally the library will be operational in the next two months,” she said.
“The public library is part of our community recreational centre at Tendai Hall. We also have an adult literacy class under the supervision of Chipindura Primary School, which currently has 55 learners.”
She said the place will be renovated to accommodate schoolchildren who want to do their homework.
“We have schoolchildren who come from households whose environment is not conducive for learning. We will create space for those children. We want to instil a culture of reading so that our youth can learn new ideas and wisdom from books. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
“Some youths are engaging in drug abuse, theft and prostitution due to lack of recreational activities and the new library will bridge that gap.”
In total BUSE donated 2 028 volumes of adult fiction books worth US$12 200 to Bindura Municipality, four high schools and two secondary schools.
BUSE Vice Chancellor, Professor Eddie Mwenje, who was represented by pro-vice chancellor Wilson Parawira, said the consignment of books marks the beginning of a new journey for the town.
He said Zimbabweans are well-known avid readers before urging the beneficiaries to preserve the books for future generations.
Online Reporter