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Freedom Mupanedemo-Midlands Bureau
The new Tokwe 4 Secondary School was commissioned in Chirumanzu District yesterday, bringing relief to pupils, some of whom have been travelling over 5km to the nearest school.
The school was built by Chirumanzu Rural District Council in partnership with the Japanese Embassy, as the Second Republic’s engagement and re-engagement drive continues to achieve the desired results.
Mr Tranos Chimbwa, a local villager, said learners were travelling long distances to access education.
“We had a lot of school dropouts because of the long distance that our children have been walking to the nearest school,” he said.
“We would like to thank Government and the Japanese Embassy for constructing a school for us. This is the kind of development that we yearned for in a rural area like ours.”
Chief Chirumanzu said education is a key pillar to the development of any country. “We commend Government for this kind of development in our area. Our kids will now access education which is the key pillar for any development that we can think of as a country.”
Ms Mariam Mawere said the nearest school before was some 4km away.
“Our children had to walk all the way to Nhema to access secondary education. We are very happy that we now have our school,” she said.
Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Satoshi Tanaka said Zimbabwe and Japan enjoyed cordial relations which will see the two nations continue working together on developmental projects.
He said the embassy through its local initiatives and development agency will continue strengthening the relations existing between Tokyo and Harare.
“I am very excited by the cordial relations we have with the people of Zimbabwe. We renewed this only last week when Tokyo reaffirmed her position to assist the African continent in various development areas including education and health. I hope the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to go down so that more Japanese people can visit this beautiful country,” he said.
Permanent Secretary for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Abiot Maronge said Government and the embassy will continue working on the construction of staff quarters and more classroom blocks to improve living conditions for both pupils and the teachers at the school.
“This development is taking place in the backdrop of a robust engagement and re-engagement drive launched by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr ED Mnangagwa,” he said. “The deliberate move to re-integrate Zimbabwe into the global village has yielded massive social and economic benefits one of which we are all here to witness today.'”
The Japanese Embassy, which has been financing the construction of the school, also installed a solar powered water system at the school.
Online Reporter
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