Simba Jemwa, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government has put up plans to construct 35 schools as part of continued efforts to provide proper learning infrastructure that speaks to modernity to the 4,6 million learners enrolled in the country’s schools, an official has said.
Director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Mr Taungana Ndoro told Sunday News in a wide-ranging interview that the construction of 35 schools was in the pipeline.
The revelation comes as the nation prepares for the Global Education Week which will be held from 17 to 21 October.
“The Ministry, is currently providing access to more than 4.6 million learners in the country and we are in the process of ensuring that we construct 35 schools to ease the over enrolment in some schools. The schools will ensure that learners are able to access education in proper infrastructure that speaks to modern trends,” said Mr Ndoro.
learners
Mr Ndoro also called on the private sector in the country’s education sector to emulate the Government and ensure state-of the art infrastructure is constructed.
“The Government has always encouraged private players in the education sectors. These fall under different categories; proprietors of independent colleges, private schools and church owned schools.
These private players have been given the mandate (after being registered) to run schools and to be answerable to the ministry,” he said.
He noted that Harare and Bulawayo have the least number of schools. “The two metropolitan provinces in the country have the least number of schools. Harare has 406 schools while Bulawayo has 692,” he said.
He added that the Education Week was going to be held on the backdrop of success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in rural communities.
“STEM is the way to go. However, over and above STEM, the Ministry’s thrust in on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) policy. The Arts component is necessary for the development of the nation. As a result, we have in our competence-based curriculum which puts premium on the Ubuntu philosophy.
ICT
“As you might be aware, the nation has registered success in education since independence. At independence, the nation in line with the mantra of “Education for All” provided the necessary infrastructure to learners who were denied education through bottlenecks of the colonial regime,” he explained.
“This initiative by the Government resulted in the greater access to education and the rise of the country’s literacy rate to the level that we are today.”
He acknowledged strides made so far in electrifying and furnishing schools in rural communities with ICT equipment saying working together with sister ministries and partners, the Ministry is leaving no school and no learner behind in ensuring that the necessary ICT infrastructure are put in place.
Education sector
As part of the Ministry’s Global Education Week celebrations, the Ministry will showcase its achievements in the education sector. It will also hold regional workshops for the Education Sector Strategic Plan.
The Global Education Week is an annual global awareness raising initiative held during the third week of October. -@RealSimba Jemwa