The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
WHEN Nosizo Ncube (12) (not real name) passed her Grade Seven examinations she was very excited. She saw no hurdle standing on her way to become a nurse after getting inspired by the ones she always saw in snow white uniforms on occasional visits at Tshelanyemba hospital in the deep rural Kezi district of Matabeleland South Province.
To her, graduating from primary to secondary school meant she was going to get a complete set of uniforms but the decision of the school she was going to attend was not hers to make. It depended on her widowed mother and was so much dependent on whether one of the two he-goats that the family owns, courtesy of an NGO, got a buyer.
Her situation was not very rosy and she was so much awake to it, in fact her mother had planned to drop her out of school had she failed her first major examination. That she passed was a new headache to her. She did not have the resources to send her to a boarding school and the only option was for her to go to Tshelanyemba Secondary School which is almost 15 km from where they stay.
Following the footpaths to school was a punishment-like exercise to Nosizo, it was torturous and so was it to so many other pupils from different villages who gambled with life to survive attacks from rapists, snakes, hyenas and jackals in the bush as they walked the punitive distances to school where they always got there tired.
Most of them wake up at the second cock’s crow before the break of dawn — around 3 AM to start preparing for school and they usually get back home around 7 PM. The exercise is agonising but they have no option — for Tshelanyemba is the nearest secondary school that they can afford and the parents do not tire. They encourage them, for they now know that their children’s future should be built on an educational foundation.
Tshelanyemba is not only far to pupils like Nosizo. The school has its own share of problems and controversies that are beyond Nosizo and her counterparts but that generally affect them. Enrolment has been gradually going down and the pass rate constantly low. These issues can directly be pinned to the long distances that pupils walk to school where some of the learners end up dropping out of school.
To try and counter such problems the School Development Committee (SDC) and parents came up with a plan to construct low cost boarding facilities at the school and have been working on putting together resources to kick start the project.
Patron of the school and chairman of the committee mandated to spearhead the project Mr Ananias Sitshomi Nyathi said they were saddened by the lack of infrastructure development at the school. He said they were worried by the failure by authorities to bridge the gap between town schools and boarding schools and rural schools that remain painfully underdeveloped.
“We are putting together resources to grow the school. We are happy that the community has realised that if we do not do it for ourselves no one will. As a result we have been getting pledges from villagers and the business community. One villager — a former headmaster Mr Makhoba Paul Dlamini and his wife donated four beasts that we will auction and channel the funds towards the project.
“We have set our sights at constructing low cost boarding facilities that will include two dormitories for boys and girls that will house 100 boys and 100 girls. We also want to have a dining hall. We are already behind in terms of our target but we hope by next year we will be through if we continue getting the necessary support,” said Mr Nyathi.
He said it was worrying that the school that was launched in 1981 was still crying out for infrastructure development, adding that the responsible authority — the Salvation Army was no longer responsible. In fact the church according to Mr Nyathi had been derailing efforts to develop the school and yet claiming the 15 percent share of being the responsible authority and “fighting” the headmaster.
“The church that is the responsible authority has not done anything right from the construction of the secondary school. It is the responsible authority in writing but practically we have not benefited anything as a community from them being there and claiming ownership of the school.
“We have written to council for it to take over as a responsible authority but the Salvation Army is maintaining a firm grip on the school they have not contributed a thing on building. To us and the community they have become flies in the ointment of peace and development,” said Mr Nyathi.
The sentiment that Salvation Army is throwing spanners in the way of progress is shared by the community with Mr Richard Njini Sibanda contending that Tshelanyemba Secondary School was a direct result of the community effort.
“We moved out of the church land and asked for this land from an old lady who gave us the ground where the school stands today. But as with Government policy we were supposed to be under a responsible authority and we thought the church will just be fine. We were looking at getting assistance and guidance but little did we know that we were throwing ourselves in an abyss and we are now failing to get out.
“But with or without their assistance we are going to ensure the development of the school succeeds. With the assistance of the headmaster Mr Ezekiel Hleza we have approached the army and Commander 1 Brigade Brigadier General Augustine Chipwere promised us that he will provide builders to do the construction once all the material is in place,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said the school was accorded A-level status in 2005 and they used to have pupils walking more than 15km to school and it was at that time where they felt they should accommodate them at school. A house was allocated for pupils to stay in but the ministry disallowed the arrangement and authorities evicted the students at night.
This did not go down well with most parents who either dropped their children or transferred them to other schools. And out of the 37 A-level pupils only three remained.
Mrs Gladness Ncube said they were concerned about the girl child accessing education with the minimum inconvenience. She said the distances that were being travelled by the pupils were discouraging, adding that girls were at risk of being sexually abused along the way.
The committee’s vice-chairperson Mr Tapson Moyo said the community realised that education was a worthwhile investment.
“We undertook the initiative to build the boarding facilities after realising that education is a valuable investment and as parents we should be involved in the education of our children. If we do not take care of that we lose it,” he said, adding that they were courting the business community, former students and other well wishers to donate anything they might have towards the worthy cause that would make the dreams of youngsters like Nosizo come true.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Prof Paul Mavima recently said the country had a deficit of 2 000 schools and promised construction of schools in areas identified to have a shortage. He urged communities to assist the Government in reducing the shortfall and minimise the distance walked by pupils. Minister Mavima said although focus was given to resettlement areas, there were other communities that needed attention.
