Harare to build flats for teachers

Blocks of Willowvale flats in Highfield that were commisioned by President Robert Mugabe in September 2011, were built under the government revolving fund to ease accommodation to low income earners

Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council intends to build walk-up flats to ease accommodation challenges faced by teachers. The local authority said it was making efforts to upgrade most council-owned facilities.

Housing and Community Service director Mr Addmore Nhekairo told The Herald that plans to construct accommodation for teachers was still at the preliminary stage.

“As council, we know and understand some of the challenges being faced by teachers. The major one is that of accommodation and this is the reason why we have decided to come up with this project.

“We are still working on the budget and all other things to be put into consideration on the project,” he said.
Mr Nhekairo also said council would conduct a pilot project in Glen View where the first flats will accommodate 28 teachers.
“Very soon we are going to conduct a pilot project using Glen View 2 Primary school where we have given the school a piece of land to build flats for their teachers.

“We expect the flats to accommodate 28 teachers. It is our intention that once we have learnt some lessons from that pilot scheme we can then replicate it throughout the city so that our teachers are not affected when it comes to securing accommodation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the city is also in the process of building new schools and upgrading other facilities like community halls.
Recently, the city, in partnership with NetOne, refurbished Sunningdale Community Hall which houses over 70 pre-school children and more than 2 600 people visit the centre every month.

Early this month the local authority held a ground-breaking ceremony for Kuwadzana 11 Council Primary School.