Secondary schools shortage hits Chipinge

Obert Chifamba Manicaland Bureau Chief
Chipinge District is battling to find secondary schools that will absorb thousands of pupils around Checheche Growth Point, that are expected to complete Grade Seven this year. The district schools inspector, Mr Richard Gabaza, last week told The Herald that there were six primary schools around the growth point, whose enrolment figures were in excess of 9 000, yet there was only one secondary school, Checheche High.

“We are faced with a very difficult situation, as our only secondary school has facilities to accommodate only 800 students, yet our primary schools have more than 9 000 pupils. Checheche Primary School has 3 500 pupils, while its satellite school has 800, with the remaining five schools providing the rest of the pupils, to take the tally to over 9 000,” he said.

“The situation requires a very urgent solution lest we have children staying at home doing nothing, as the nearest secondary school is 12 kilometres from here, while the other one is 15 kilometres further away.”

Mr Gabaza was speaking in an interview on the sidelines of a tour of classroom blocks donated to Checheche High School by a non-governmental organisation, PLAN International. PLAN International has been assisting the school since 1999 and recently donated 10 computers worth $5 000 and has also supported the school’s water harvesting project for agricultural activities, with a submersible pump, an overhead tank and other accessories worth $2 500. Despite the aid from PLAN International and the construction of another block at a cost of $30 000 by Chipinge South legislator Cde Enock Porusingazi, Checheche High School has remained strained as the blocks (each with two classrooms) can only accommodate 80 students.

Mr Gabaza challenged the school development committee and parents to work together and construct more classroom blocks at Checheche High School, so that more students could be accommodated. Checheche High School development committee chairperson, Mr Stephen Zinyani, said it was necessary to urgently mobilise resources for the construction of more classroom blocks.