adminPatrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
VICE-PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the government remains committed to empowering its people through quality education supported by e-learning and internet-based research. VP Mnangagwa said more than 1,000 rural schools have so far received computers giving thousands of pupils access to information communication technology in line with the on-going Presidential national e-learning programme spearheaded by President Robert Mugabe.
Addressing parents, teachers and schoolchildren recently during the handover of 90 laptops and accessories to Mukomberanwa Secondary School and Makanya Primary School in Muwani Village, Chirumanzu, VP Mnangagwa said government policy was that rural pupils like their urban counterparts, should have access to books and computers.
He said gone were the days when he and fellow comrades like Zanu-PF Chief Whip, Cde Joram Gumbo, would travel long distances to towns to access books for research at libraries.
“Cde Gumbo has a number of degrees, including an MBA. Way back, he would travel to Gweru from Mberengwa, looking for a library to do his research studies. Now you pupils are fortunate because you now have computers which you got through President Mugabe’s initiative.
“You can make flight bookings from here without having to travel to a travel agent. Now you can google, and do research or even learn what’s happening in Chicago (US) from these computers,” said VP Mnangagwa.
The programme, which started in 2000 when President Mugabe donated the first computers, has since spread to all corners of the country making e-learning and research easy for the once ICT-marginalised rural pupils.
VP Mnangagwa said since independence, the government embarked on a number of initiatives meant to improve the quality of education such as increasing enrolments at tertiary institutions.
He said the programmes were supported by infrastructure development in all the provinces.
VP Mnangagwa said initially the computer programme targeted schools with electricity but the government later decided to include all schools after coming up with a programme to provide alternative sources of energy in areas that do not have electricity.
“I therefore call upon the corporate sector to support the Presidential e-Learning Programme irrespective of the location of the school,” he said.
The VP said ICT also benefited teachers as they too can access teaching material on the internet.
He, however, urged teachers and guardians to ensure youths are not victims of pitfalls of using the internet-based technology.
Turning to drought, VP Mnangagwa assured the villagers in Hama area that they were not going to starve. He said the government had sourced enough maize for all provinces.
The VP said he was going to discuss the matter with the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Joseph Made, so that maize is urgently distributed to needy areas.
VP Mnangagwa also announced to the parents, teachers and pupils that the government had approved plans to upgrade Mukomberanwa Secondary School into a boarding school.
The Vice President later donated $400 towards the electrification of Makanya Primary School.
The school needed $800 to complete the electrification programme.
Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) in conjunction with Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services donated 80 laptops for pupils, 10 for teachers, 12 solar panels, two projector screens, two heavy duty inverters and batteries, among other accessories to the two schools.
Online Reporter