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Leonard Ncube in Hwange
GOVERNMENT has urged Zimbabweans to grab developmental opportunities in their respective areas so as to contribute towards community development and the realisation of the country’s Vision 2030.
This was said by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs responsible for Monitoring and Implementation of Government Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo, when he visited the newly established Hwange Teachers’ College yesterday.
Dr Gumbo is on a tour of selected Government projects under the 100-Day cycle programme with the aim of familiarising, appreciating challenges, promoting participation by communities, involving project implementers and to facilitate evidence-based decision making. He said some project reports mislead Government into believing that something would be happening on the ground.
“The purpose of my visit is to witness what is happening because such projects are essential to locals. Most of the projects, although put on the 100-Day cycle, cannot be finished and they go in stages. When we read about most projects you think a lot is happening but when you go there you see a different story,” said Dr Gumbo.
He said Government is serious about the 100- Day cycle programme and moving the country in tandem with the aspirations of vision 2030 for the benefit of all citizens.
“Personnel from the monitoring department will continue to monitor projects and track performance to ensure responsible reporting by all Ministries. On their part, the citizens demand results that positively impact on their livelihoods. It’s therefore our collective responsibility to ensure that we make the best use of available resources for the betterment of Zimbabwe and its people,” the Minister said.
The college opened its doors in May with an enrolment of 150 students of which 104 are female.
It is an Annex of the United College of Education in Bulawayo and occupies Thomas Coulter Annex that was being used by Zimbabwe Open University which has since been ordered to vacate.
The Government gave the college $3 million for refurbishment work which is ongoing while the Hwange Local Board has allocated nine hectares of land for the construction of a new campus.
Dr Gumbo said Treasury would release more funds to complete refurbishment work.
He challenged the local community to grab opportunities availed to them by Government and make sure all projects succeed.
Dr Gumbo said the college is an opportunity for the province to correct mistakes of the past where some teachers were deployed in areas where they had no appreciation of the local language.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs Minister Richard Moyo said while the college is a welcome development to the province, enrolment of students should prioritise locals. Acting director for Teacher Education Programmes in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Daphney Zivanai, said it is Government policy to train and deploy teachers who have an appreciation of local languages.
“It’s Government policy for every province to have a State university, polytechnic and teacher’s college and Matabeleland North was one of the three that were yet to attain this. We have gathered here to witness establishment of Hwange Teachers’ College and it’s another policy that primary school student teachers should have an appreciation of at least three indigenous languages so they can teach in the local language.
“There was an outcry in Matabeleland North that is why the Ministry moved in quickly by establishing a teachers’ college in Matabeleland North in its 100- Day cycle, “ said Mrs Zivanai.
She said Government would continue to make the premises habitable. – @ncubeleon
Online Reporter