Shot in the arm for Chivi pupils

Herald Reporter
Hundreds of schoolchildren in Madzivire communal lands in Chivi South, who were walking up to 30 kilometres to and from school daily, have been thrown a lifeline after Chivi Rural District Council chairman Dr Killer Zivhu mobilised resources to build a new secondary school in the area.

Dr Zivhu, who is also Chivi RDC chair, has since started construction of four classroom blocks at Chebvumbi Secondary School in Madzivire, where schoolchildren were walking over 30km daily to and from the nearest secondary school. Schoolchildren from Chebvumbi were walking at least 15km to Ngundu Secondary school or almost a similar distance to Hlezani High School in nearby Mwenezi.

However, speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony at Chebvumbi Secondary School yesterday, Dr Zivhu said he was touched by the plight of schoolchildren in Madzivire, who encountered daily struggles to access secondary education.

Dr Zivhu said he had mobilised enough building materials to build four classroom blocks at Chebvumbi.

“We have already started moulding bricks that are required to build at least four classroom blocks and I already have the materials required to complete those structures in the hope that beginning next year, school children from around this area can start attending classes here,’’he said.

“My challenge to villagers here is that while I provide the building materials that are required to finish this project they should also offer free labour because they will be creating a legacy for their children,’’ he added.

Villagers in the area said their children were risking their lives crossing the flooded and crocodile-infested Runde River to access secondary education in Mwenezi and Ngundu.

Dr Zivhu said his thrust to build school and develop infrastructure to help rural people in Chivi and other parts of the country was inspired by President Mugabe whose Government enunciated the Zim-Asset blue print to improve living standards of ordinary Zimbabweans.

“I am here at Chebvumbi because of President Mugabe, whose Government identified access to education to all Zimbabweans as a policy in Zim-Asset and even from the time we attained our independence,” he said.