US$260 000 worth of commercial projects at Amaveni High

Patrick Chitumba, [email protected] AMAVENI High School in Kwekwe District has championed a new approach to sustainable education funding by launching commercial projects worth over US$260 000. The initiatives seek to subsidise school fees and levies, ultimately alleviating the financial strain on parents. Amaveni High School recently unveiled several significant infrastructure developments, including a state-of-the-art Smart Classroom block (US$15 000), a second school bus (US$195 000), a school truck (US$63 000), and a solar-powered borehole (US$1 100). These aim to bolster the school’s educational programmes and operational efficiency. The projects were commissioned by the Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen Ncube. According to the school head, Mr Wellington Mapingire, the next steps involve securing a road permit and finalising a suitable route, paving the way for the bus to begin operations. “The new bus was delivered and subsequently commissioned by the Minister of State. We now have two buses and we are working on securing a road permit and choosing a route for this new bus so that it gets on the road,” he said. Mr Mapingire said the school has already lowered fees after using its first school bus commercially. He said part of the proceeds were channelled towards purchasing the second bus. “Our new bus will assist the school in raising more revenue so that by 2030 our fees will be reduced. We managed to maintain our school fees by subsidising the amount through money raised commercially by our old bus over the past two years,” said Mr Mapingire. The recently commissioned Amaveni High School bus “We channelled some of the proceeds towards the purchase of the new bus.” He said the smart classroom block has been well-equipped and will assist learners in research and make learning easier. “The borehole will assist us in our projects because so far we have managed to raise funds through growing maize and poultry, the community also benefits by fetching water for free whenever they do not have a water supply,” said Mr Mapingire. Mr Marshal Makorovodo, the chairperson of the School Development Committee, outlined the committee’s vision to support the Amaveni community by alleviating the financial burden of school fees. “Amaveni is a poor community made up of mostly the elderly who are taking care of orphans. “We hope that through this bus and other projects, we will be able to reach zero fee payments at our school. Currently, our Advanced Level fees are US$80 and US$60 for our Ordinary Levels,” said Mr Makorovodo.