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Midlands Bureau

DHLAMATULI Primary School in Silobela, Kwekwe District, has received 20 laptops donated by President Mnangagwa as part of efforts to scale up the adoption of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and transforming the country’s education sector.

The rural school also received a projector, a printer and other ICT gadgets to boost the technological transformation journey, as well as other surrounding schools and the community at large.

The kind donation follows the recent launch of the Zimbabwe Fiber Optic Network project, three Policy Documents and a computer lab by President Mnangagwa earlier as the Second Republic pushes towards modernising the country’s economy.

During the launch, President Mnangagwa donated 250 laptops to schools in the Midlands Province in the eight districts.

Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Cde Owen Ncube, officially handed over the computers to Dhlamatuli and hailed President Mnangagwa for being a listening leader who does not leave anyone and any place behind.

“This gesture will indeed go a long way in meeting the digital transformation needs of school learners, as well as teachers. We are, thus, very grateful to our pro-people and action oriented President for these generous donations,” said Minister Ncube.

He said the gesture was testimony that the Second Republic was committed to the transition towards a modern ICT sector that leaves no one and no place behind.

“We endeavour to attain a paperless economy that entails the use of the internet in schools for teaching, research, innovation, community service and industrialisation as defined under Education 5.0 introduced by the Second Republic,” said Minister Ncube. 

“The practice of carrying textbooks in satchels will be a thing of the past.”

He said the Midlands province was a beneficiary of the tangible projects that include road infrastructure, dams, irrigation schemes, schools, clinics, roads, water reticulation and firefighting equipment, among others.

As part of the ICTs adoption drive, 16 community information centres were established across the province and more will soon be rolled out.

Silobela MP, Cde Jonah Nyevera said the computers will go a long way in transforming Silobela into an urbanized area in line with Vision 2030 of attaining an upper-middle income economy by 2030.

“The technological advancement being pushed by the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa will enable Silobela to move from being a semi-urbanised to fully urbanised area. 

“If schools are developed, through ICT and we augment with other developmental projects that we are doing in the area, we will surely achieve our goal of being an urbanised area,” he said.

The legislator said he will continue lobbying for more computers through Minister Ncube.

An excited school headmaster, Mr Oscar Mawuto, said the donation signals a new dawn for Dhlamatuli Primary School as it will improve the quality of education and ICTs learning.

“We didn’t have a single computer at this school in the past and yet we strived to get a reasonable pass rate. Now that the President has remembered us we can only promise the best,” he said. 

“The teachers will use the equipment for research and our learners will also begin to have a hands-on appreciation of using a computer.”

Mr Mawuto applauded President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic for supporting schools in remote areas. 

Mr Albert Moyo who has a Grade 5 child at the school said with the availability of the computers, children can now learn in an environment that is equivalent to their counterparts in urban areas.

“We are very happy as a community to get such assistance from our beloved President. Thank you,” he said.

Another parent Mrs Collet Matusva said: “It’s a dream come true for our children to have an opportunity to operate the device. Some of them in rural areas have completed their high school education without handling a computer or laptop, which has left them disadvantaged when compared to the urban child.”