Chikanga in dire need of high schools

Manicaland Correspondent

SECONDARY schools in Manicaland must apply for upgrading to high school status and save students from travelling long distances in search of schools that offer A-Level studies.

Acting Manicaland deputy provincial education director (secondary schools) Mr Charles Muganu revealed this in an interview with The Herald recently.

Said Mr Muganu: “For a secondary school to become a high school, it has to meet certain requirements. These requirements include having facilities such as a science laboratory. If a secondary school does not have a laboratory it does not qualify to be a high school because in high school students should study Sciences, Commercials and Arts subjects. Hence without science laboratories it is difficult for a secondary school to become a high school.”

Mr Muganu revealed that Chikanga and St Mary’s secondary schools in Mutare had applied to become high schools last year and their applications were still being processed.

“The reason Chikanga high- density suburb does not have high schools is that it is still new compared to Sakubva, which has had high schools since 1980,” he said.

“However, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is willing to create more high schools in the district but are unable to do it due to lack of funding. As a ministry we used to support secondary schools with a 75 percent grant. This was done to improve secondary schools to high schools and the money would be used to establish science laboratories.”

Mr Muganu said that because of the scarcity of high schools in Chikanga high-density suburb, students were walking long distances to enrol at high schools in nearby suburbs.

He indicated that there should be more schools in Chikanga high- density notwithstanding the fact that suburb was new.