Only 2 pupils pass at Chiadzwa school

ONLY two pupils at Chiadzwa Primary School passed Grade Seven examinations last year, amid reports that mining companies in the area were not interested in funding educational programmes.

Melanie Chiponda, co-odinator of the Chiadzwa Community Development Trust, last week told parliamentarians attending a mining workshop in Vumba that pupils from relocated families were walking unacceptably long distances to schools, resulting in high failure rates.

"There has been destruction of the education system due to mining activities to the extent that Chiadzwa had the lowest pass rates in the province last year," Chiponda said.

"At Chiadzwa Primary School, there is a lot of drilling, digging and noise from machines, while children are in class and that situation is not good because last year it resulted in only two children at the school passing Grade Seven examinations," she claimed.

Chiponda also bemoaned mushrooming illegal settlements at Tenda village.

"This village was formed during the time of the diamond rush and traditional leaders are not comfortable with that type of settlement. We do not know who is harbouring those people because mining companies and traditional leaders do not know who they are," she said.