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Ropafadzo Ndangariro Herald Reporter
Save the Children, an independent organisation focused on children affairs, last week donated eleven desktops, three laptops and a printer to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education valued at $11 028 to improve the quality of the learning environment for children.
In a speech read on her behalf Save the Children director Ms Sarah Blin said her organisation was working in partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education across 10 inaccessible districts in the country.
“Currently, we are working in partnership with the ministry across 10 of the most hard to reach districts, these are Mbire, Rushinga, Binga, Gokwe North and South, Hwange, Matobo, Beitbridge, Muzarabani and Harare,” Ms Blin said.
“In each of these districts, our work has been reaching an average of 20 schools in the past seven years.”
She said her organisation has been supporting the ministry to improve the quality of learning environment in the 10 districts.
“I am pleased to inform you that Save the Children has been supporting the ministry across these districts to improve the quality of learning environment for children through infrastructural development and repairs, provision of learning and teaching material, in-service training for teachers especially on literacy and numeracy,” she said.
“We are also conducting the training of School Development Committees, supporting the drafting of schools Disaster Risk Reduction plans as well as monitoring the possible hazards.”
She encouraged the ministry to ensure that the donated resources are fully utilised.
“I challenge the ministry and the partners to ensure that these availed resources are fully utilised by the end of the year,” said Ms Blin.
“It is my hope that this small gesture will contribute towards the ministry’s efforts to support the needs of the children and contribute to the fulfilment of children’s right to education.”
Upon receiving the computers, Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said the donated resources were going to enhance quality and efficient service delivery to the ministry.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this gesture by Save the Children will enhance quality and efficient service delivery to our ministry as a whole and district in particular,” she said.
“ICT equipment and ICTs in general make an integral part of our teaching and learning systems in the ministry as well as effective communication.”
She said that schools must support and embrace the new curriculum in order to prepare the children for future changes.
“We have to prepare our children for jobs yet to come because technology is taking over. In terms of preparing our young it is important that we are in sync with the changes and the new curriculum talks exactly to that,” said Dr Utete-Masango.
“We cannot be left behind, we need to embrace the new curriculum because of the benefits that a learner accrues and we cannot run away from technology.”
Online Reporter