Govt yet to identify areas to benefit

Harmony Agere
The facility will see 12 primary schools and five secondary schools built in the rural areas of eight undisclosed provinces.

Following the successful acquisition of a US$20 million loan package for the construction of 17 schools from OPEC, Government is now in the process of identifying areas that will benefit from the fund with satellite and resettlement areas expected to get first preference.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa last week signed the US$20 million First Education Project with the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) in a deal that will see the country contribute US$2 million as co-finance to the project.
The facility will see 12 primary schools and five secondary schools built in the rural areas of eight undisclosed provinces.It will also provide relevant equipment, furniture and standard teachers’ houses for the targeted schools.
The development is also expected to ease the schools’ deficit that is currently standing at 1 252 primary schools and 894 secondary schools, making a total of 2 056.
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Lazarus Dokora said the process of identifying the areas that will benefit has now begun.
While he could not be drawn to discuss the matter in detail, Dr Dokora simply said a statement will be made as soon as the process is over and noted that the deal is a cause for celebration.
“It is a process which I cannot discuss with you (media), we have always said that we have a huge schools deficit and I think as a country we should be celebrating the fund,” he said.
“As soon as we finish the process, we will make the statement but for now please let us do our work.”
Dr Dokora has on several occasions lamented the huge schools deficit saying it was compromising the quality of education.
To deal with the problem, he introduced a volley of measurers that include the building levy which is projected to raise US$120 million annually starting next year. The funds will be used to build schools and teachers’ quarters.
Educationists have encouraged Government to consider resettlement areas first as they have not seen significant infrastructure development since the turn of the new millennium.
“The ground to be covered is huge but at least this deal will be something to start with,” said Eldritch Sithole, a humanitarian advocate and educationist with a local NGO.
“I think for this one Government has to start with resettlement areas and other satellite areas. It is not a good thing for children to be walking long distances to school, especially in this day and age. Teachers and pupils in rural areas often suffer in silence but we are saying this one is for them and let’s do it for them.”
The project has been applauded as a plus for Zimbabwe’s education system which is currently facing a plethora of funding and infrastructure constraints despite being one of the best on the continent.