The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
THE founder of the General Foundation Apostolic Church in Christ has donated kitchen utensils worth P79 000 to St Francis Academic and Vocational School in Mangwe District to start catering courses.
Dr Francis Jinoti Moyo who is also a spiritual leader in the church handed over the equipment which comprised 265 pots, 24 tables, cups, plates and spoons among other utensils to school authorities.
He said it was his desire to ensure that pupils in rural areas had access to quality education.
“I love and have a passion for education. It is a pity that children in rural areas are exposed to harsh learning conditions which causes some pupils to lose interest in schooling.
“This donation is part of efforts to ensure that pupils from this school have access to quality education. I decided to donate kitchen utensils because there are a lot of resources needed in schools besides literature,” he said.
The headmistress of the school, Sister Antoinetta Ndebele, said their institution offered limited vocational technical subjects because of resource constraints.
She said the donation would help increase the number of courses. She said they were now working towards offering catering courses.
“The plan when the school was established was to ensure that it offered a wide range of vocational subjects. At the moment we offer art, garment construction, motor mechanics, wood work, technical graphics and computers.
“With the kitchen utensils we were given we can now introduce food and nutrition for the academic school and catering courses for the vocational school,” she said.
Sister Ndebele said some of the kitchen utensils would be utilised at the school’s low cost boarding facility’s dining hall.
She said plans were also underway to expand the school’s boarding facility to ensure that it accommodated many pupils.
Also speaking at the handover of the donation Mangwe schools inspector, Mrs Jester Gumpo said most schools in the district had a challenge of infrastructure and human capital.
She said this made it difficult for schools to provide education that was relevant to the new curriculum.
Sister Ndebele appealed to various stakeholders to assist towards equipping schools.
“Our schools in the district have gaps in terms of infrastructure and human capital. We would like to appeal to different partners such as parents, churches, members of the business community and other organisations to assist.
“Schools are in desperate need for laboratories and classroom blocks as they are not properly equipped to implement the new curriculum. The district has a vacancy of 80 teachers,” she said.
