Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
SIKHULILE Bhoboza Sibanda is a woman who knows the value of education. She was denied the opportunity to attend secondary school by her father, who did not believe in educating girls.
She did not let that stop her from pursuing her dreams. She moved to the United States of America in 2019, where she trained as a nurse and a caregiver. She also saved money to build a primary school in her hometown of Plumtree, a border town in Zimbabwe. She wants to empower girls and boys through education and give them the chance that she never had.
Sibanda established Beacon Hill Primary School last year. The school has 126 learners from ECD A to Grade Five. She did her primary education at Embakwe Primary School from 1983 to 1990.
Sibanda worked hard to raise money to build the school. She took up three jobs and saved for five years. She was patient and consistent and never gave up on her vision. She said:
“I wasn’t able to get the education which I desired to receive because my father didn’t believe in sending girls to secondary school saying they will get pregnant after he pays school fees. I went to America in 2019 and empowered myself through training in nursing and day care. My experience of being denied a chance to get me an education motivated me to establish a school. It’s disheartening that some children are denied a chance to go to school, not only girls but boys too.
“Education is a basic right of every child and none should be deprived of that opportunity. I had to take up three jobs in order to raise money to build the school. It took me five years to the build the school. I had to be patient and consistent in order to raise the money. I remained focused and I never gave up as I knew the purpose of building the school.”
Sibanda said the school offers extra curriculum activities such as chess and gymnastics. She said her goal is to see the school produce learners that are developed holistically. She said they have a favourable teacher to pupil ratio to ensure that each learner receives as much attention from the teacher as possible. She said:
“As an academic institution our target is to ensure that we develop the learners academically and beyond. We want to help children identify their talents and also to nurture these talents. Our teachers are highly recommended and they have teaching at heart. They share this vision and are adamant on seeing it come to fruition. For now we have ECD A to Grade Five learners and a few preschool learners. Next year we will introduce the next grade up until we will reach Grade 7. Our school will grow and the enrolment will increase but we won’t compromise on standard or increase our teacher to pupil ratio.”
The school is set to introduce tennis, cricket, basketball and music next year.
Sibanda said she needs more land to build a secondary school in order to see children through their basic education. She said she wishes to work with partners that can identify vulnerable children and finance their education from primary education right up to tertiary level. Sibanda said empowering children through education requires a multi-stakeholder approach.
Sibanda said it is crucial for Zimbabweans who are based in the diaspora to develop their homeland and invest in various sectors. She said the best development initiatives can be spearheaded by citizens of the country. She said:
“I grew up in Plumtree and that’s where home is even though I’m abroad. In order for the town to develop I have to play my part and opening this school is part of playing my part. Instead of complaining as diasporans that there is no development in the country, we need to initiate that development ourselves. The resources that we have amassed together with what we have locally can bring huge development to our communities.” — @DubeMatutu
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