The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
CHAOTIC scenes of violence, hooliganism, substance abuse and unruliness which has hit some high schools in Bulawayo will soon be over as the acting Provincial Education Director (PED) has vowed to tackle the issues head on in a bid to bring sanity into the education system.
The acting PED, Mrs Jane Ndebele, said her biggest goal is to bring discipline to high schools where chaos has been rampant. She said violent and ugly scenes that have been reported in the media must come to an end and children must attain an education for the betterment of their future. In an interview with Sunday News, Mrs Ndebele said she was aiming at sanitising the education sector in Bulawayo and ensuring schools improve their pass rates.
“I am passionate about perfection and orderliness. I am passionate about children, I like them a lot and anyone who does not deal with children in a well and acceptable manner, I do not tolerate.
I am concerned about the plight of schoolchildren because if you miss them from the time they are in school then it means you are missing their livelihoods as well. I like to work with committed people who will see that this comes to fruition when they are entrusted with children,” said Mrs Ndebele.
Mrs Ndebele said she was interested in working with a team that does not want to be pushed to perform as she herself is a self-starter who also does not want to be pushed. Mrs Ndebele said secondary schools in the city were turning into “chaotic jungles”.
“I want to see a peaceful working environment with the team in the province. I want to see less commotion and well-behaved children. I was speaking to school heads recently, talking about secondary school children that there is a lot happening. It is a jungle in secondary schools and they should try by all means and work as a team and talk to these children and guide them, they need guidance,” she said.
She added: “I expect to see order in these schools, a business-like environment such that when you get there you see that children are learning. I told the school heads that when you see children taking drugs and bullying others it’s a sign, they are idle one way or the other. They must adhere to rules of the schools and they should be shared and everyone in the school must take part in the disciplining of the students, not that they should beat them, no, but talk to them and ensure they understand their situation.”
Following the promotion of former PED Mrs Olicah Kaira to the head office in Harare, Mrs Ndebele said she was excited about her new role and will work to the best of her ability to ensure the province stands out on the education front.
“I am the acting PED since Mrs Kaira has moved to the head office on a promotion as chief director. I have been a teacher by profession since 1985. I have gone through the ranks, I have been a teacher, deputy headmistress, headmistress, education officer, acting district education officer in Bulawayo Central for years and moved to Khami District in 2016 as district school’s inspector. Now I am acting as PED in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.
I was a teacher at Amaswazi Primary School and later became a deputy headmistress there, I moved to Thembiso Primary School as the headmistress then I moved to Bulawayo Central District. After that I moved to Khami District and my latest move has been to the province as the acting PED.”
Mrs Ndebele said now that she has assumed duty in Bulawayo Province, she will walk along the footsteps of the former PED ensuring that the province continues to excel in whatever it does. She, however, lamented that the province is facing a shortage of schools.
“We still need more schools and structures in schools because our schools are currently overwhelmed with enrolment. The suburbs are growing fast, look at Cowdray Park, we need more schools because there is a lot of hot sitting in those areas. We really need more learning space for our learners,” she said.
Mrs Ndebele is a holder of a Master of Business Administration Degree, a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in English and Communication and a Certificate in Education. – @NyembeziMu.
