The Sunday News
Clementine Phulu, Sunday News Reporter
PRIMARY and Secondary Education Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu last Saturday donated 300 Sasso chicks to three primary schools in Ward 14 of Bulilima West constituency in Matabeleland South Province.
The donation was made at Nswazi, Mafeha and Malalume primary schools with each receiving 100 chicks, chicks feed, water trowels, feed trays, exercise books and a constitution written in TjiKalanga.
Dr Ndlovu said the aim of this project was to create production centres from those schools at the same time empowering young people from a tender age.
“The purpose of this programme is to empower young people from ECD right up to Grade Seven so that they have a hands on experience in managing agricultural projects like this chicken project that we brought in and the second issue is for these schools and other schools to have a start at creating a production centre in their respective schools,” she said.
“This project will create hands on knowledge for children at the same time it will expand and empower the population around it, as people around will be able to buy chicken from these schools and this project can also create an industry by bringing in incubators so that there is a value chain process created in a rural setup in other words industrializing the rural areas through schools.” The Minister said the project was not only for children as teachers would also benefit.
“This project does not only empower the children but it also empowers the teachers because a teacher will also learn how to handle those chickens and post retirement or even before retirement they can also empower themselves by having such projects.
“Our teachers here can turn up to be members of teacher for economic development by default, by getting them self-empowered after seeing what I have done in these schools and they will never complain about their salary as they will be having an extra income from such projects. So civil servants out there it’s possible if you become part of teachers for ED then you empower yourself, do not wait for anyone nyika inovakwa nevhene vayo,” she said. Bulilima West MP Cde Dingumuzi Phuthi said he was grateful for the gesture of reaching out to rural schools which is meant to impact them life skills in terms of non-formal education.
“I’m grateful for this gesture shown by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through the minister, the gesture of reaching out to rural schools to impact to them life skills in terms of non-formal education she has brought chicken projects that are meant not only to economically uplift schools but to also teach our children at the tender ages the importance of productivity emanating from non-theory approach to learning.
“Gone are the days when children will be forced to study things that are not going to be practicable into their lives, today we witness President Mnangagwa’s vision and Government coming up with Education 5.0 and having our curriculum changing to train a child who is going to understand their purpose and this is fulfillment of such,” he said.
