New primary school for Plumtree

PLUMTREE Town Council is set to open a new primary school next term, Town Council Secretary, Mr Davis Dumezweni Luthe has said.

The opening of the school will come as a relief to both parents and pupils as children who failed to secure places at the two existing primary schools Dingumuzi and Alan Red Fern were being forced to turn to nearby rural schools.

Mr Luthe said they have so far acquired furniture for one classroom block and plans were underway to secure more furniture and books.

"We are planning to open Matiwaza Primary School next term. One classroom block has been completed and we have also acquired furniture for it.

"Two other classroom blocks are at their final stage and we hope all will be finalised by the start of next term. We are also working on securing more furniture and books. It's crucial for this school to be opened next term because it will help ease congestion in the two existing primary schools," he said.

Mr Luthe said a security fence had been erected around the school and water has since been connected.

He said the school was going to start operating as an annexure of Dingumuzi Primary School. He said various stakeholders had contributed towards building the school.

Mr Luthe said once the school was operational it will be expected to sustain itself. He said the local authority will however set aside a budget to complete the school.

"When we started building the school we held a donor conference where stakeholders contributed resources. From there we continued with the donor concept where we emphasised that everyone was a donor and they had to contribute something.

"Members of the business community, residents and Government institutions, among other stakeholders all contributed towards building the school," he said.

Former Mangwe District Schools Inspector, Mr Headman Mpofu recently said the border town needed at least two more primary schools.

He said schools were heavily congested with each having an enrolment which was double what is expected.

Mr Mpofu said Dingumuzi Primary had a capacity of 800 pupils against an enrolment of 1 300 while Alan Red Fern Primary had 501 instead of 300.

He said some pupils were commuting from the border town to Izimnyama Primary School in Mangwe, about 20 kilometres away.

Mr Mpofu said a survey conducted last year within the town had shown that about 200 pupils had dropped out of primary and secondary school after failing to secure learning places locally.

He said the survey was carried out after it was realised that a number of children of school going age were loitering during learning hours.