adminAustin Nyathi Chronicle Correspondent
THE Gwanda community share ownership trust has availed $575,000 for the construction of science laboratories at five secondary schools around the district.Pupils have been performing dismally in science subjects as they have not been able to do practicals because the schools had no labs.
The district is among the worst performing in public examinations in the country.
The trust’s chairperson Chief Mbuku Masuku said civil works were already in progress and they were expecting the facilities to be ready for use by June.
The schools that are set to benefit are Ntepe, Gungwe, Selonga, Mzumuni and Sibona. They are under chiefs Masuku, Matema, Mathe and Nhlamba.
“The main super structures are at various construction levels and our aim is to have them functional by the end of June. In fact structures at Ntepe and Mzimuni are now at roof level,” he said.
Chief Masuku said each lab would gobble up $115,000.
He said besides the science labs, they were also building classroom blocks at Betsa and Bhalula primary schools, Mabheka, Mkwidzi and Sitezi Secondary schools.
Chief Masuku said they had also started drilling boreholes in the rural areas to improve water supplies.
He added that the Trust was funding other developmental projects that sought to economically empower women and youths around Gwanda district through a revolving fund.
“We are also empowering women and youths through a revolving fund and we are targeting those that have projects that need capital injection.
“We encourage people to form groups so that we can facilitate funding for up to $30,000”, he said.
Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Abednico Ncube commended the trust for giving back to the community saying construction of labs will go a long way in promoting the teaching of science in Gwanda district.
“We welcome the idea of building science labs in the communities. Actually we want our children to be well equipped in science subjects so that they will go to the University of Zimbabwe and study physics and chemistry, we want to produce doctors and pilots from this region not a situation where our children do isiNdebele and English language only”, said Cde Ncube.
Online Reporter