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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
SCHOOLS in Tsholotsho District in Matabeleland North Province have raised funds for the reconstruction of the burnt Better Schools Programme of Zimbabwe (BSPZ) building, one of the key structures at Tsholotsho Business Centre.
Upon completion in April next year, the building’s hall will have the capacity to accommodate 1 000 people from 100. The facility comes as a relief to corporate bodies and residents who will be able to use it as a venue for workshops, seminars, community meetings and weddings among other events.
The structure was razed down by an inferno in March last year and property worth thousands of dollars was destroyed as a result.
The fire broke out when a first aid workshop was underway and property worth thousands of dollars, including laptops and other educational materials, were burnt to ashes and nothing was recovered.
The building, located at the Tsholotsho Business Centre, was built and donated to the district by Plan International in 2002.
The centre was also used as a storage facility for educational materials in the district.
The BPSZ was initiated in 1996 as a strategy to improve the quality of teaching and learning through continuous in-service training for teachers as well as the pooling of resources for all schools.
BPSZ was established in 1996 as a strategy to improve the quality of teaching and learning through continuous in-service training for teachers as well as the pooling of resources for all schools. It is also aimed at improving the quality of the education system in all districts, including improving the capacity of the teachers through ongoing formal and non-formal training at district and cluster levels.
Tsholotsho BSPZ building under reconstruction
As a result of the inferno, the Tsholotsho BSPZ management committee, led by Mr Sicelo Dube, who is also a headmaster at Tsholotsho High School, resolved that each learner from all the schools in the district should contribute R15 or US$1 for the reconstruction project.
There are 85 primary and 35 secondary schools in the district. The initiative to reconstruct the building resonates well with the Second Republic’s philosophy of “Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo/Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”
“The builder has since completed iron roofing and we are now taking brickwork to window level then we roof the structure. We charged US$1 per child from all schools in Tsholotsho district,” said Mr Dube.
He said the district development coordinator’s office is mobilising more funds from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating within the district.
Tsholotsho is also home to timber harvesting companies and is rich in flora and fauna.
“As a committee, we have also engaged Tsholotsho Rural District Council, the business community as well as other stakeholders as don’t want to leave anyone behind in this project,” said Mr Dube. “We are also seriously working with reputable insurance companies with a view of insuring the structure and putting enough fire extinguishers in all offices and hall. We have removed all wooden trusses and purlins and replaced them with iron ones.”
In July, Zanu PF Second Secretary Cde Kembo Mohadi visited the site during which he promised to engage the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to expedite the reconstruction of the building. — @skhumoyo2000.
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