Chronicle Editor
Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT is working on setting up a National Schools Building Fund that will see all schools contributing towards infrastructure development.
The fund is expected to start in June and will be managed by the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ).
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the motive behind the setting up of the fund was to speed up infrastructural development in schools countrywide.
The country has a deficit of 1 252 primary and 804 secondary schools.
“Starting June next year, I’m going to do what is known as proof of concept where we are going to pool national resources together into a national building fund. It is going be ring fenced and no one is going to touch it. It’s going to be managed by the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe. My aim is to transform the education landscape in the next five years, completely transform it,” said Prof Mavima.
He said his vision was to see more than 2 500 schools being constructed within the next five years.
“We will ensure that we build 2 500 schools within the next five years out of this national building fund. I as a politician will not have access to that fund. I will come up with a board of trustees that runs the fund outside politics and it will be controlled by the IDBZ. What I will need is the support of the education fraternity to say let’s do this together,” said Prof Mavima.
“It will not matter whether you are in Dete, Binga, Dotito, the kid there will have the same access to the national educational facility as the kid who stays in Bulawayo or Harare so that we don’t lose our kids who could be engineers or innovators simply because they live in a remote rural area”.
He said schools would contribute five percent from their levy income per pupil.
“On the building fund , schools that charge more will put more money, for example if Mzilikazi charges $85 we can say give us five percent of 85, if Peterhouse charges $10 000 we are going to get five percent of $10 000 into this fund and five percent of $15 coming from the rural areas,” said Prof Mavima.
He said his Ministry is working on distributing $9 million worth of textbooks to all schools but targeting mainly the disadvantaged ones.
Meanwhile, the construction of the 17 world-class primary and secondary schools in the country under a $20 million grant from the Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) is expected to kick off next month.
At least 12 primary schools and five secondary schools will be built under the grant.
Prof Mavima said Government was pushing for world-class schools with amenities such as sporting facilities, laboratories, relevant equipment, furniture and standard teachers’ houses.
In Matabeleland North, the schools are expected to be built at Kokoloza and Jabulani. In the Midlands, the anticipated beneficiaries will be in Budiriro and Neta while in Matabeleland South, a school will be constructed.
In Mashonaland West, schools will be constructed at Sadoma Extension, Chehamba, Battlefields and Tavoy.
In Mashonaland Central, the project will include areas such as Tengenenge, Claverhill, Belgonie, while in Masvingo construction will be at Chingwizi and Nyuni.
In Mashonaland East, Good Hope school will be built. In Manicaland, Lawrencedale and Sterksrooms will be the beneficiaries.
Prof Mavima said organisations intending to build schools in the country should comply with the new standards and also provide the stipulated amenities. — @AuxiliaK.
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