NEW: ICT shot in the arm for 4 Chipinge rural schools

Freedom Mutanda
Post Correspondent

 

GOVERNMENT and its development partners – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Terre des Homme Italy (TdH It) and ProFutoro’s – drive to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban learners has benefitted four rural schools in Chipinge after they received 12 laptops and 576 tablets to help them integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in learning and teaching.

The ICT gadgets were handed over to the recipient schools at Sabi Valley Primary at an event attended by representatives from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, school heads from the surrounding community and the development partners’ representatives.

 

Over 4 000 learners are using the tablets for learning, while 116 teachers in the four schools were trained.

 

Mr Isiah Masona, who stood in for the Chipinge District Schools Inspector, Mr Abson Mapfumo, urged both teachers and learners to embrace the use of ICTs.

 

“ICTs is the way to go. As a ministry, we are happy that the head and his teachers have embraced technology. We hope that this will result in a shift for the better in terms of the pass rate leveraging on the use of ICTs,” said Mr Masona.

 

ProFutoro life coach, Mr Emmanuel Kunjenjema said it was prudent to join hands with Government in promoting the improved access to and use of ICTs in rural learning institutions.

 

“As ProFuturo, we are an organisation funded by the people of Spain and committed to narrowing the education gap in refugee communities and their hosts by providing quality digital education. Tongogara Refugee Camp houses many refugees and its school is one of the biggest in Chipinge. Musapingura, Sabi Valley and Maronga are the host schools and Tongogara comes in as the direct beneficiary of the donation,” he said.

 

Sabi Valley head, Mr Mugove Makore said the laptops and tablets were a short in the arm and will go a long way in improving teaching and learning using ICTs.

 

“We are extremely delighted with this development. It signals a new beginning for us regarding access to and usage of ICTs,” he said.

 

The school’s ICT teacher, Ms Tsitsi Mabunda said access to ICT will improve the teaching and learning of Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALAs).

 

“The learners are really excited as they will use the gadgets to research on CALAs. Learning will become more enjoyable for them,” she said.

 

A guardian, Ms Catherine Chiramambowa, hailed Government for its sustained efforts in closing the gap between rural and urban schools in terms of access to and usage of ICTs.

 

Atipa Marango, a Grade Six learner, said her interaction speed with the gadgets improved in recent days.