Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
PUBLIC-PRIVATE partnerships have transformed Nyamutora Primary School in Hurungwe, improving learning facilities and access to water at the 72-year-old institution.
Established in 1954 and run by Hurungwe Rural District Council, the school received support from the United Kingdom-based charity organisation Samuel Leeds Foundation, Econet Zimbabwe, former pupils and community members.
The upgrades include a three-classroom block, renovated classrooms and ablution facilities, a perimeter fence, a 130-metre-deep solar-powered borehole, 15 000-litre water tanks and about 700 metres of water piping serving the school and surrounding community.
Econet Zimbabwe also supported the roofing of an existing classroom block. Former pupil Mr Never Bhebhe urged people to give back to the communities that shaped their lives.
“We have to plough back to the schools and communities that breathe life into us,” Mr Bhebhe said.
Econet Zimbabwe northern region manager Mr Martin Zimonte said the company was complementing Government efforts to improve education infrastructure.
School headmistress Mrs Patience Manyika said the improvements would help retain teachers and create a better learning environment, although the school was still awaiting connection to the national electricity grid to fully operationalise its computer laboratory.
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education chief director for provincial services Ms Rebecca Gora said the solar-powered borehole would also support a nutrition garden to help feed learners.
Officially accepting the completed projects on behalf of Government on Monday, Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Marian Chombo commended the community and its partners for working together.
“Self-reliance does not mean doing things alone; it means first taking a step, and then seeking help that can amplify what you are already doing,” she said.
She pledged Government support through the provision of a Starlink kit and computers to promote digital learning, expressing hope that the partnership would inspire similar initiatives at other schools.
