Government aims to provide schools in TTLs

The Herald, November 2, 1979

THE Minister of Education, Mr Edward Mazaiwana, yesterday accused the previous Government of not providing schools for black children in the tribal trust lands.

Speaking at the official opening of Dangamvura High School near Umtali, the Minister said: “Since the early ‘50s, it has always been the responsibility of the Government to provide both primary and secondary education for urban Africans.”

Similar schools had not so far been provided for African children in the Tribal Trust Lands, he said.

The Minister said the present Government was determined to provide schools in the TTLs.

He appealed to black children to “live in hope” that when the problems of the war and sanctions were over, Zimbabwe Rhodesia “should offer a bright and promising future for young people”.

Mr Mazaiwana told children at the new school that Government was “committed to ensuring your career prospects and advancement when you leave school, are free of any discrimination”. He renewed an appeal to the children to think of their less fortunate friends, deprived of a place to attend school due to the war, and to “guide them as you have been guided by your teachers”.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

A statement from UNESCO reads: “Education as a fundamental human right lies at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and many other international human rights instruments. The right to education is one of the key principles underpinning the Education 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) adopted by the international community. SDG 4 is rights-based and seeks to ensure the full enjoyment of the right to education as fundamental to achieving sustainable development.”
Post-independent Zimbabwe saw a major increase in schools, with rural secondary schools being labelled “upper tops”. This gave the impression that education from these schools was sub-standard, so too the recipients.
Although the terms Group A and Group B schools are no longer widely used, there remains a huge gap between rural and urban schools in terms of resource availability and allocation.
The serious economic challenges faced by Zimbabwe have resulted in some teachers shunning rural schools due to the unavailability habitable staff quarters, transport, electricity, water and other amenities that their urban counterparts have access to.
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in new ways of doing things, including teaching and learning that are sometimes conducted virtually on different platforms. Rural students and teachers are at a disadvantage because they either do not have access to digital platforms or the electric power, and network boosters.
Sanitation is a major problem with some rural schools because of water scarcity, and this is a problem that can lead to water-borne diseases.
Most rural students still reside 10km or more from their schools and the only way to reach the schools is by walking. There are safety issues: attacks by wild animals, crossing flooded rivers, damaged bridges, etc., being abducted.
Although Government and other stakeholders have constructed many rural education facilities, more schools and teachers’ house need to be built using international best standards. Zimbabwe is endowed with availability of sunshine for solar energy.