adminFungai Lupande Mashonaland Central Bureau
Guruve Rural District Council has used its devolution funds to build a modern laboratory at Chifamba High School to ensure science subjects are taught in the marginalised community.
Commissioning the laboratory recently, Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs, Senator Monica Mavhunga, said the laboratory becomes the third in a district with 30 secondary schools.
Sen Mavhunga said President Mnangagwa’s desire to lead the country towards attaining Vision 2030 will be achieved if all local authorities take full responsibility of developmental projects.
“I would like to urge you to remain focused, never put your foot wrong in the use of these funds from Treasury,” she said. “We have heard reports from other provinces where councils are channelling these funds towards recurrent expenditure and other unprescribed uses.”
About $319 000 was used to build the laboratory and the community chipped in with locally available resources.
Sen Mavhunga said she was pleased that the devolution process was deepening the democratic participation of citizens in various socio-economic spheres.
Electrification, plastering, painting, furniture and installation of internal lab equipment is already done.
What is left is the procurement of ancillary equipment like microscopes and other related equipment for a modern laboratory.
Only two secondary schools in Guruve had functional laboratories. The district has 30 secondary schools.
“Guruve RDC will now focus to Matsvitsi and Mamini Secondary Schools in the next phase. These are deliberate efforts to address issues of marginalisation where it remains a dream for most students in remote areas to study science subjects,” said Senator Mavhunga.
“The local authority has broken new ground by constructing a state of the art laboratory despite harsh economic conditions caused by illegal sanctions.”
Mr Mavhunga said it is disappointing that in Guruve some learners are travelling for more than 15 kilometres to school. She challenged Guruve RDC to accelerate the construction of Vira Secondary and Impinge Primary School.
She said that local authorities are agents of development and they should work towards growing the gross domestic product of their council areas by identifying potential areas in their districts that can be explored to spur economic development.
Online Reporter