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Minister Abednico Ncube

Richard Muponde, Gwanda Correspondent
THE Minister of Rural Development, Promotion and Preservation of National Culture and Heritage, Cde Abedinico Ncube, has secured donors who will assist to build eight secondary schools to promote STEM in Gwanda South, a constituency that he represents in parliament.

Addressing villagers in Halisupi and Bengo, Cde Ncube said STEM was the backbone of the country’s development and the laboratories in his constituency must be completed in three months.

“Our children in this area were not learning sciences but only majoring in arts subjects which made most of them fail to qualify to be enrolled in science universities. Most of them are going to university to learn Ndebele, the language they speak at home. What will that help them with? What development will that bring to the country?” asked Ncube.

“We want to produce doctors, engineers, pilots and actuaries who do pure Maths from this part of the country and Gwanda South in particular. The government used to send our children to Cuba, Algeria and other foreign countries to learn to be engineers, doctors and so forth but we have said no, they should be home grown for our country to develop.”

He said in line with President Robert Mugabe’s passion for pupils to learn sciences, he had taken it upon himself to look for donors to assist in building laboratories.

“What’s now needed is for you to be united and work together to mould bricks, carry sand and quarry to the schools. The donors will give you everything to build the laboratories. This work should start today and I will give you three months to complete the laboratories,” said Cde Ncube adding that three donors would assist to make the STEM dream a reality.

He identified one of the donors as Mornef Investments (Pvt) (Ltd), a Civil Engineering firm based in Zvishavane but operating in Gwanda and Beitbridge.

The company was represented by its director, Elinas Gumbo, at the Provincial Affairs Minister’s meeting with villagers.

He said his company would provide building materials for the project.

“Those who are fast in pooling resources together will get their building material first. We are complimenting government’s efforts in producing STEM graduates who will become the back bone of our country’s economy and development,” said Gumbo.

Gwanda South has 10 secondary schools and only two of them have laboratories built with the help of the Community Share Ownership Trust funds.