Use bus to improve learners’ appreciation of education, Sobukhazi High School told

Judith Phiri, Sunday News Reporter

AFTER acquiring and commissioning of the long-awaited 72-seater school bus, Sobukhazi High School has been encouraged to make use of the bus for the benefit of the school especially to ferry students to various higher and tertiary institutions around the country so that they get an appreciation of the different fields then can study and be properly guided career wise. 

Since the replacement of Education 3.0, by Education 5.0, higher and tertiary institutions in the country have been championing teaching, research, community services, innovation and industrialisation. 

In line with the National Development Strategy (NDS1) and Vision 2030, students at the country’s State universities and polytechnics are expected to produce goods and services while contributing towards the creation of a knowledge-driven economy. 

Speaking at the commissioning of the bus at the school yesterday, the guest of honour, Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial chairman, Cde Jabulani Sibanda said the students should get good grades and strive to go beyond high school to universities and polytechnics where they can innovate. 

“As Sobukhazi High School students strive to go to universities, go to Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM), go to the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), go to the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and other institutions as well as polytechnics so that you can also develop innovations that industrialise and modernise the country,” he said. 

He said the bus should be put to good use and ensure teachers and students go for educational trips to acquire more knowledge and learn from other places and other institutions. Cde Sibanda said learning was the basis of everything as anything that can be seen as development came from people being able to understand who they are, where they are and how they create conditions that make their lives better. 

“In Africa, we are living out of the designs made by people from other continents simply because sometimes we fail to use resources that we have so that we can upgrade our thinking capacity and our educational requirements to reach levels where we can invent. 

“We have got the best mechanics but they only repair yet we want them to develop new things. With this bus take the Form Ones, Twos, Threes and so forth to universities, those who would want to do engineering let them be taken to the Faculty of Engineering so that they understand the principles of engineering while still at high school. At the universities and polytechnics, they should then go and do attachment outside the country where they learn things that they can bring back and further develop into big innovations so that we do away with always getting finished things from other countries.” 

He bemoaned the abuse of drugs by the students that was escalating in the country, destroying the future of the young people. 

Cde Sibanda said drugs were finding their way into the country from some Western countries hell-bent on disrupting Africa as they did not want to see the successful development of the continent which had abundant resources. 

“They are targeting children that are in secondary schools and universities. Sometimes even ourselves we are to blame because when we notice the enemy is using us, we should guard against that,” he said. 

He condemned those who were selling drugs and were only concerned with self-enrichment, while destroying the future of children that were getting hooked on the drugs. 

Cde Sibanda called on the parents to be the protectors of their children and expose all the drug dealers so that they can be dealt with.

Bulawayo Deputy Mayor and Ward 8 Councillor Edwin Ndlovu said the bus was a commendable development for the school. 

“As councillor for the area, my wish is for all schools in this area to emulate what Sobukhazi High School has done. It is not very hard. I was also once an SDC chair for a certain school and we also ensured a bus is bought because it is a critical component of any school. Working together of schools, SDCs and parents ensures key developments are done that will go a long way in creating a conducive environment for the learner. As parents ensure you pay up all the monies required by schools so that they are able to carry out key developmental projects,” he said. 

Sobukhazi High School former headmistress who was also in attendance, Mrs Thotha Skosana said she was excited to witness that the school was developing. 

“I was headmistress at this school from November 2009 to May 2020. I am coming back to the school after three years and I am happy to witness such a development. The headmaster Mr Ncube has made my dream come true because when I left I always yearned for the school to have a school bus and here it is now, this is what we call development. It all about taking over from where someone has left off and moving the vision forward, because our priority is the children. I thank the headmaster and his staff, the SDC and parents for working together to make this happen, may they continue to work together to further develop the school.”