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Midlands Reporter 

There is a need to introduce disaster management syllabus in the education sector to impart survival skills in the community before, during and after natural disasters. 

Addressing Zvishavane residents, Government officials, pupils and staff at Errymaple primary and secondary schools at the handover of goods worth thousands of dollars donated by pupils from both schools in central business district yesterday, Mr Rodwell Mutetwa the District Administrator for Zvishavane said disaster management skills were now a requirement in the  community. 

“We are gathered here to witness, to appreciate the wonderful work that has been done by these children who have responded to the call to donate to the victims of Cyclone Idai which ravaged Manicaland Province especially in Chimanimani and Chipinge areas. Such a thoughtful gesture is well appreciated as it moulds these children into responsible adults. However, there is need to introduce practical disaster management syllabus in schools to equip our children, our future leaders with knowledge on how to respond to disasters. Disaster management starts from responding to warnings, to reacting during and after the disaster, “he said. 

Mr Mutetwa said while Cyclone Idai left a trail of destruction in Chimanimani and Chipinge areas, the same effects were not felt in Zvishavane. 

Errymaple Primary School director Mrs Ashell Ruswa said pupils at her school were responding to calls to donate towards Cyclone Idai victims in Chimanimani and Chipinge.

She said the pupils also walked from Zvishavane central business district (CBD) to Mandava in solidarity with pupils that were affected by the cyclone.

“Pupils from Errymaple Junior and Senior school, touched by the plight of the people and fellow pupils affected by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani and Chipinge, decided to donate shoes, clothes, toys and books which we have handed over to the District Administrator for onward handover to the affected people and pupils. We also call on people in Zvishavane to follow suit as the Bible tells us that ‘blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh,’” she said.

Errymaple Primary School is a private institution which is wholly owned by the Ruswa family and is situated at One Musiku Plots in Zvishavane about 6,4 kilometres along the road to Masvingo.

The school opened its doors in 2016 with an enrolment of 49 learners. However, by end of year, 79 learners had registered with the school.

Our mission of giving learners a firm foundation with excellent teaching programs has been a dream come true, with learners reaching a whopping number of 358.  We are proud of being the only Cambridge registered institution in the district, exposing our learners to internationally recognised standards.

As an award winning institution in platforms such as allied arts and quiz competitions we continue flying our wings high, with learners excelling in sports and clubs such as chess, swimming, music and gumboots/ballroom dance. Currently we have our learners conducting their lessons through e-learning.

We thank our responsible authority for providing learners with a state-of-the-art learning environment, coupled with recent sporting and boarding facilities at a minimal fee.

Our plans 

We see ourselves in the next few years as a hub for equipping learners with life skills such as food science, fashion and fabrics, wood and metal work as well providing enhanced ICT skills for all our learners.

It is that we see our learners interacting with national, regional as well as international counterparts to enable them to have a global touch and be able to adapt as well as conforming to the dynamic social, economic and technological environment.