Develop satellite schools, acting heads urged

Heather Charema Mashonaland West Correspondent
ACTING primary and secondary school headmasters in Mashonaland West Province have been urged to develop satellite schools and turn them into fully-fledged schools to increase the number of established schools in the province. Addressing acting satellite school headmasters at a Better Schools Programme of Zimbabwe (BSPZ) annual award giving ceremony in Chinhoyi recently, deputy provincial education director for Mashonaland West Mr Gabriel Mhumha said a number of acting school headmasters in the province had to develop their schools in preparation for registration

“To all acting headmasters and headmistresses here present, it is important that you know, satellite schools need to be developed in order to allow school registration,” said Mr Mhumha. He reiterated that some acting school headmasters were not developing satellite schools in order to remain acting headmasters, thus slowing down the registration process.

“Some acting school headmasters are not developing satellite schools in order to remain school headmasters. They know that if their satellite school is developed into a school, it is then advertised to substantive headmasters,” he said. Mr Mhumha said Makonde District had more satellite schools than established ones.

“Makonde District has 54 established primary schools and 63 satellite schools, at the same time it has 11 established secondary schools and 46 satellite secondary schools. This, in short is making a school establishment of 174 schools and the last school to be opened was Tsununu in Muvhami. This is Makonde District alone, if we look at other districts in our province, we will realise that there is need to develop and establish more schools in Mashonaland West Province,” he said.

Government expects to kick off the construction of world-class primary and secondary schools in Mashonaland West under the Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) anytime this month. This will see the construction of world-class schools with amenities such as sporting facilities, laboratories, relevant equipment, furniture and standard teachers’ houses.