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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT has opened a new school in Tsholotsho to cater for the San community whose children have been travelling for more than 10 kilometres to the nearest school.

Mtshina Primary School which is located between Butabubili and Skente villages was constructed by Government in partnership with Plan International Zimbabwe.

Matabeleland North acting Provincial education director Mr Jabulani Mpofu said the school opened its doors at the beginning of the term.

“This school is situated in the San community area because it was noted that most of the school children there were not going to school because of distance as the nearest school there was Butabulili which is 10 kilometres away and Skente which is also 10 kilometres away from Mtshina.

“So there was reason for the construction of Mtshina Primary School, thanks to Plan International Zimbabwe,” said Mr Mpofu.

He said the school opened its doors with an enrolment of 248 pupils from Early Childhood Development classes to Grade 2.

It has three teachers.

Mr Mpofu said Government had also created a non-formal centre to cater for older pupils of secondary school going age not enrolled at the primary school.

“It was noted that some children did not attend school and their ages range from 13 to 17. So these cannot go into formal school. A non-formal school section was started in this school and the class is made up of 15 pupils,” said Mr Mpofu.

He said the school is facing serious infrastructural challenges and the furniture is inadequate.

The PED said the other challenge is that parents are reluctant to pay fees.

Mr Mpofu said construction of more classrooms will result in the school increasing enrolment, reducing pressure on other schools.

“The challenge we have in this school is fees payment. It’s proving to be a great challenge. There is still a need for advocacy because they think that since the school was built for them it’s unnecessary to pay fees. We need more stakeholders to assist us in advocacy for fees payment,” he said.

Mr Mpofu said the school needs to be roped into the Government’s feeding scheme programme like other schools.

“It is Government policy to feed pupils at school. We are working flat out to make sure that we start as soon as possible because some of the children came from Skente and Butabubili so there is a need for these schools to donate maize to their sister school. If we don’t do anything, it will cost us in retention of learners and we might end up having dropouts,” he said.

“There is piped water at Mtshina Primary school; Plan International sunk a solar powered borehole. So in terms of water we don’t have any challenges and the community is also benefiting from this water. We have another classroom block which is nearing completion.”

He said there was a need to construct more classroom blocks so that the school goes up to Grade Seven.

Mr Mpofu said they were working to build the school library and getting text books and stationery.

“We have raised the issue of books with our principal director; they have promised that they will do something about teaching material. Right now, there was a donation of about 500 exercise books that we got from head office so we actually had intended to send the books to Binga but actually we have to share with Mtshina because they don’t have much in terms of teaching and learning materials,” he said.

@AuxiliaK