adminBEAUTIFUL, well-furnished classes, flush toilets and running water are usually associated with urban school settings but for children of Nyamandlovu Village Four in Umguza District, Matabeleland North, this is now an everyday thing.
They have been given a new lease of life on the education front as they have a new state-of-the-art Early Childhood Development Centre named Ekukhanyeni Centre that can easily be mistaken for a private school in big cities due to its modern touch.
This was made possible by Ekukhanyeni Trust, an organisation run by Zanu-PF senator in Matabeleland North, Cde Sikhanyisiwe Mpofu, her daughter Nomusa and daughters-in-law Lesipho and Blessed. The name Ekukhanyeni, which means light, was derived from the senator’s own name, Sikhanyisiwe. Cde Mpofu said the building of the ECD centre was proposed in February 2014 when she realised there were many children of school-going age that were not attending school.
“I realised that all the time as I sat outside in the mornings at my homestead there were many young children who would spend the day playing yet they were of school going age and I spent some time noticing this. I was worried and investigated why they were not in school and discovered that the parents were saying the schools are too far for the children to attend and they also could not pay tuition fees,” she said.
Cde Mpofu consulted her husband and MP for Umguza, Dr Obert Mpofu, and shared her vision and immediately she started mobilising resources so that she builds a centre for these children. The nearest school is between 10 and 13 kilometres away such that the young children were not able to walk. Their parents’ only option was to keep them at home until they were about 10 years old and were now able to walk the long distance.
This then saw many of the children failing to be enrolled for Grade One, meaning that they would be forced to sit at home and herd cattle while their peers attended school. Cde Mpofu said she was touched and was pushed to build the centre for children in Village Four because she did not want them to miss out on education which is a basic right for them. She started with one block but increased the classes because of the overwhelming enrolment.
She said because of the age issue, Ekukhanyeni Centre has 10 over-age children who were denied entry into the local primary school because they had not attended ECD classes. The centre has state-of-the-art buildings, a hall for graduations, three classroom blocks and modern toilets fit for the toddlers.
“I tried my best to make the centre resemble the ones found in the big cities and I wanted it to be as comfortable as possible for the children. We have 74 children at the moment and 54 will graduate at the end of the year,” she said.
While some ECD centres in the city are demanding that children bring their own plastic chairs and mattresses, the classes at Ekukhanyeni are well equipped with new high quality furniture. Cde Mpofu even purchased beds for the children so that they are able to take siestas and get the much needed rest.
To make the classes more user friendly, they are equipped with water dispensers that provide clean and fresh water for the pupils. The children are also fed throughout the day as some are not able to bring packed lunches as many are orphaned or their parents cannot afford to provide adequately for them.
The classes have manipulative blocks, dramatics, arts, crafts and design areas where the children exercise their knowledge. Books and charts are also available for the children. An outside playing area is well equipped with swings and sand boxes where the psychomotor skills of the children are tested too.
The vision of the Mpofu family is to one day build a boarding school for the children in their community. The centre was given the green light to construct a primary school as per the request of the family that said they did not want to break the chain of education for the children by stopping at ECD level.
Dr Mpofu weighed in, saying it was necessary that children are afforded a chance to get an education and parents that were denying their children that opportunity should be brought before the law as education is a basic right.
“Some parents are failing to pay the little money that is required at some schools yet they have so much livestock that they can dispose of and give their children an education. It all needs sacrifice as education is an investment,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Professor Paul Mavhima, who officially opened the ECD centre in Nyamandlovu last week, said he was impressed by the work that was done at the centre.
“This is inspiring in that someone has realised the importance of education as the foundation of everything. It is sad to note that children had to walk that far to get an education but the centre has brought a ray of hope for the children,” he said.
Professor Mavhima said the state of schools in resettlement areas was appalling and the Ministry was bent on constructing new schools for the areas.
“Many schools in the resettlement areas are in bad shape as many are mud shelters which are not ideal. We as a ministry are now planning to build 1 400 proper structures in resettled areas. There is a need for schools in these areas,” he said.
He said Ekukhanyeni Centre was a good example of community leaders aiding to the sustainable development of the education sector. Prof Mavhima said the results will show in the future and generations to come.
“Such initiatives make the work of the Government much easier as the Mpofus have used their personal resources to construct this centre, we need more people like these that lessen the burden by affording less privileged children a chance to get an education,” he said.
Mrs Lesipho Mpofu, the coordinator of the centre said they are setting up a nutritional garden that will aid in feeding the children who attend classes there.
She also said they provide the children with uniforms so that they come to school fully clothed throughout the year.
The Provincial Education Director (PED) for Matabeleland North Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni said she was elated at the gesture by the Mpofu family as they were helping in improving the education standards of the province.
Online Reporter