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Felex Share Senior Reporter
Government has agreed to create joint ventures with private companies to build more than 2 000 schools and develop existing ones as it accelerates implementation of the ZimAsset infrastructure and utilities cluster. There is a deficit of 2 056 schools — 1 252 primary and 804 secondary — countrywide and funding for the construction of the schools is a major challenge.
As such, Government has started inviting firms interested in the multi-million dollar projects which encompass the Build Transfer model (by construction companies) and a Loan facility (from financial institutions).
Primary and Secondary School Deputy Minister Professor Paul Mavhima yesterday said joint ventures were the only way Government would meet some of its targets.
He said the sanctions induced economic hardships the country experienced since 2000 had worsened the situation.
“A call is now formal but we started talking about this in November 2013 when we had an infrastructure conference and expo for schools,” he said.
“Among the schools needed are satellite schools which number about 1 500 and basically there is no infrastructure to talk about. The existing infrastructure is also problematic and because the economy has not been performing according to our expectations, schools lack requisite infrastructure. Government alone cannot provide the infrastructure as its fiscal space is limited.”
The ministry said in a statement yesterday that the companies had up to July 30 to express their interest.
“The partnerships will comprise two models, the Build Transfer model where infrastructure development companies construct school infrastructure, hand over to the Ministry for use and receive loan repayments as agreed at the time of entering an agreement and the model where institutions provide funds for the construction of school infrastructure and receive their loan repayments as agreed at the time of entering into an agreement.”
Interested firms should express their interest to the Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education (Sylvia Utete-Masango) by July 30 while proposal documents are obtainable at the Ministry Head Office in Harare.
Prof Mavhima said they expected foreign companies to express interest in the joint ventures.
“Some companies have expressed interest and we expect them to come and collect specifications which we have come up with,” he said.
“They will have to come up with a detailed response including the architectural designs.”
Some pupils are walking distances of more than 10km every day to the nearest school.
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