adminMpumelelo Nyoni Chronicle Reporter
THE Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Matabeleland North, Cde Cain Mathema, has adopted eight secondary schools from each district in his province in a bid to improve their infrastructure.Cde Mathema said the schools are facing numerous challenges resulting in teachers shunning them.
The schools are Manjolo High in Binga, Somvubu Secondary in Bubi, Lukosi Secondary in Hwange, Lupanda Secondary and Fatima High from Lupane, Seshanke High in Nkayi, Jimila Secondary in Tsholotsho and Sawmills Secondary from Umguza District.
Cde Mathema said the situation had an adverse effect on the learning process and caused children to perform poorly in public examinations.
“The schools face numerous infrastructural setbacks ranging from a shortage of staff houses, boarding facilities, lack of specialist rooms such as science laboratories, administration blocks and security fencing. There is a need to improve the schools to create a conducive learning environment,” he said.
Cde Mathema appealed to the corporate world to come on board and assist his office in rehabilitating the schools.
He said he had engaged the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) in tackling the project.
Matabeleland North Provincial Education Director Boitatelo Mnguni said the identified schools were facing serious challenges that needed to be attended to.
“The ratio of staff houses to teaching staff is disproportionate. Manjolo High School in Binga has 7 staff houses for 39 teachers and the situation means that some teachers use kitchens as bedrooms. The problem of accommodation is exacerbated by the fact that pupils are given teachers’ houses to facilitate low cost boarding. The school has no Science laboratory complex and demand for staff houses is likely to increase once the school offers Sciences,” she said.
“Seshanke High School in Nkayi has been using an unprotected well and this is not healthy for such a big school which has 360 pupils”.
Mnguni called for special attention to be given to Fatima High School which is in urgent need of rehabilitation.
“The school’s kitchen and dining doors have been corroded by rust. It has broken window panes yet this is an area which should be spotless at all times. The school’s electrification system needs to be repaired.
“The school is a potential agricultural production tool and reviving the boreholes, irrigation and fencing of the entire farm would turn Fatima into the pride of the province as it is used as a Bindura University annex for Science Education,” she said.
Fifteen schools in Matabeleland North recorded zero passes in November 2013 O’Level examinations. The overall pass rate of 19 percent was below the national pass rate of 20,72 percent with lack of resources being attributed to the schools’ performance.
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