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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
OVER 100 pupils learning at Ntambana Primary School in Bulilima District are learning while sitting on the floor due to a shortage of furniture. However, their situation slightly improved after the school received a donation of 74 stools and chairs from members of the Plumtree business community on Wednesday in a bid to alleviate furniture challenges.

The school, which was opened in December last year, has an enrolment of 176 children who comprise ECD, Grade One and Grade Two pupils.

Bulilima Rural District Council chief executive officer, John Brown Ncube, said 102 more pupils needed chairs.

“This donation is a huge step towards ensuring that children at this recently opened school have furniture. All of the pupils were conducting lessons seated on the floor. We’re grateful that at least 74 have been catered for courtesy of Plumtree Pharmacy and Nyathi who is a local businessman,” he said Ncube.

He said the local authority would be engaging other partners to source more furniture for the school.

“The response from parents ever since this school opened has been overwhelming. The children are coming in numbers and there is need to introduce other grades to be enrolled at the school soon,” he said.

The school has two classrooms.

Ncube said other primary school kids were not attending school owing to classroom challenges.

He said parents were demanding that the school authorities accommodate their children.

Ncube said Ntambana Primary School had brought relief to local pupils who were travelling to Tsholotsho for their education.

He said 13 more schools were being built within the district in order to ensure that learning institutions were accessible to children.

Ncube said the local authority would conduct a workshop for school heads and SDCs whose infrastructure has aged to renovate school infrastructure.

Bulilima District Administrator, Ethel Moyo urged community members to mobilise funds to develop the school’s infrastructure.

Speaking during the handover of the furniture at the school, Moyo said it was the duty of parents to ensure that children have conducive learning environments.

“It’s not proper for our children to learn while sitting on the floor because that disrupts the learning process. We don’t want our children to grow up with a mindset that learning is harsh just because of the environment which they are exposed to at school.

“As parents, you have to take it upon yourselves to develop your school. While donors and the council can assist you have to do something yourselves,” said Moyo.

Bulilima District Education Officer, Danisa Nkomo said there was still a lot of work to be done in order to make all the schools within the district child friendly.

He said there was need for more secondary schools to be built within the district to reduce cases of school drop outs.  Nkomo said Bulilima now had 63 primary schools and 18 secondary schools.