News / Regional
China builds state-of-the-art school in Lupane
20 Mar 2016 at 05:29hrs | Views
"THE Chinese and Zimbabweans are excellent friends, not just today, friends that have established their friendship and our future will always be on the path of that. We are all-weather friends."
These were the words of President Robert Mugabe bidding farewell to Chinese leader Jinping Xi after his two-day state visit to Zimbabwe during which the two leaders signed 12 agreements on aviation, telecommunications, infrastructural development and two which were private sector driven.
President Mugabe pronounced the Look East Policy in 2008 in the face of demonisation by the country's former coloniser, Britain and her allies over Harare's land reform programme as the neo-colonial bullies sought to isolate Zimbabwe in international diplomatic circles.
It was Zimbabwe's response to increased economic isolation from the western powers that led to the adoption of the Look East Policy although Zimbabwe already had strong relations with China during the liberation struggle and after 1980 when China built the National Sports Stadium, one of the country's biggest shopping malls, power stations and hospitals, among other infrastructure.
Since then provinces and their towns have continued to benefit from the Zimbabwe-China relations and as for Lupane in Matabeleland North in particular, the building of the Zimbabwe-China Primary School — at least that is what it is called for now — by the Chinese as a gift to Zimbabwe is a concrete example of a gesture by a "friend indeed" an "all-weather friend" to quote President Mugabe.
Interestingly, the school location was at the centre of controversy as some officials led by then Education Minister David Coltart in the inclusive government wanted it in Lupane, with some wanting it in Bubi.
The Bubi leaders were not amused by the decision to have the school in Lupane and dismissed the move as "underhand" and to do with Bubi being a resettlement district and therefore, "detractors" — meaning those opposed to the land reform like the opposition did not want to see any development in the area.
Infact, the former education minister from the opposition MDC, Mr Coltart still associates up to today with the project despite the fact that his party and others in the opposition were opposed to the Look East Policy.
He says he influenced the decision to have the school at the capital of Matabeleland North, Lupane, where it is located now and about to be commissioned.
Recently, the Chinese contractor opened the school to children who will learn there as well as to parents, teachers, education officials, Government Public Works officials and the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Matabeleland North, Ndabazekhaya Cain Ginyilitshe Mathema, for them to see and have a feel of the new learning environment.
The education officials with the assent of the schoolchildren asked Mathema to request President Mugabe to commission the institution once the "final touch-ups are done" and "probably when schools open next term". "We want the children to have a feel of the school and don't become total strangers when they come here when schools open next term if everything goes according to plan," explained the Matabeleland Provincial Director for Education for Matabeleland North, Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni to the parents at the school after the tour.
"There are 231 pupils from Mtshibini and Lupane Primary Schools that will be enrolled here. For now we are just calling this institution China-Zimbabwe Primary School before the issue of the name is finalised."
Mtshibini Adventist Primary School Head, Mrs Nomathemba Ngwenya and a teacher from Lupane Primary School, Ms Sihle Ncube were part of those who visited the school and said they did not expect problems in the transfer of the pupils as parents were informed of the development.
As a result of the beauty and high quality facilities — including air conditioned classrooms that come at a time when there is talk of climate change where temperatures can soar up to 40 degrees Celsius making it unbearably hot, some parents from other schools other than Mtshibili and Lupane now want to transfer the children to the state-of-the art institution with a computer laboratory.
"Madam, I must comment, this is an excellent school, looking at facilities and all but is it possible for some of us to transfer our children from other schools like Makhovula to here?" asked Mr Lungisani Tshuma, who has four children attending Makhovula Primary School.
"Yes, it is possible but you will have to be cleared by the other school and the children must have proper accommodation with parents or guardians here at the Lupane Centre because we don't want a situation where we end up having bush boarding facilities," responded, the Provincial Education Director, Mrs Mnguni.
Another parent, Mr Bongani Moyo, was on cloud nine over the development.
"We would like to thank our District Education Officer (for Lupane), Mr (Simplicio) Gwanoya and the Matabeleland North Government officials as well as President Mugabe and of course the Chinese friends who have been good friends by building such a beautiful school for us," he said during the meeting after the tour of the school.
The pupils themselves marvelled at the facilities including the sports facilities and could not hide their excitement as they sang in appreciation of their new school.
"The furniture is on its way and so are the computers," says Mrs Mnguni.
The Provincial Affairs Minister, Mathema, is also happy with the development and pledges to push that things needed for the school to open are done before schools open for the second term.
"It's one of the beautiful schools in the country," he said. "You can see it has a computer laboratory and you know how important information technology is these days. We thank His Excellency for this institution. It is one of the signs that the Look East Policy that President Mugabe has embraced is paying dividends."
President Mugabe has over the years laid the introduction of information technology in schools donating thousands of computers throughout the country.
Commenting on the school, Mathema said he will encourage parents and education authorities to look into the possibility of building a school hall to complement these efforts.
"In the colonial era, the only schools that had assembly halls were those of the former A schools for the white children but we should now have that facility in all schools where children recite their pledge and assembly and so on," says Mathema.From the beginning of next term pupils will recite the following pledge before lessons: "Almighty God, in whose hands our future lies, I salute the national flag, I commit to honesty and dignity of hard work."
Mrs Mnguni added that there will also be need to establish a play centre for the early childhood development class.
Mathema expressed commitment to ensure the school opens at the beginning of next term.
"There are two major things that are left, that is for Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to connect water to the school and the provision of electricity by ZETDC and I am pushing for those two things to happen."
The Zinwa Operations Manager for the Gwayi Catchment, Engineer Otis Marowa, explained that the State Procurement Board had just approved the purchase of a transformer at a cost of $76 000 which will be used to energise the pump station at the Lupane-Bubi Dam which has been lying idle since the water source was commissioned in 2012.
Lupane-Bubi Dam is expected to end water problems in Lupane — which was declared a provincial capital in 1999 to speed up development projects.
The dam has a capacity of 40 million cubic metres of water which could supply consumers at the business centre and the surrounding areas throughout the year but at the moment the provincial capital draws water from boreholes.
Matabeleland North provincial heads of Government departments, some operating from Bulawayo have repeatedly called for connection of water to Lupane Government houses.
The civil servants point out that lack of adequate water supplies in the town was blocking their relocation.
Government has also put on the cards the relocation of Lupane State University from Bulawayo to its rightful home, Lupane town.
These were the words of President Robert Mugabe bidding farewell to Chinese leader Jinping Xi after his two-day state visit to Zimbabwe during which the two leaders signed 12 agreements on aviation, telecommunications, infrastructural development and two which were private sector driven.
President Mugabe pronounced the Look East Policy in 2008 in the face of demonisation by the country's former coloniser, Britain and her allies over Harare's land reform programme as the neo-colonial bullies sought to isolate Zimbabwe in international diplomatic circles.
It was Zimbabwe's response to increased economic isolation from the western powers that led to the adoption of the Look East Policy although Zimbabwe already had strong relations with China during the liberation struggle and after 1980 when China built the National Sports Stadium, one of the country's biggest shopping malls, power stations and hospitals, among other infrastructure.
Since then provinces and their towns have continued to benefit from the Zimbabwe-China relations and as for Lupane in Matabeleland North in particular, the building of the Zimbabwe-China Primary School — at least that is what it is called for now — by the Chinese as a gift to Zimbabwe is a concrete example of a gesture by a "friend indeed" an "all-weather friend" to quote President Mugabe.
Interestingly, the school location was at the centre of controversy as some officials led by then Education Minister David Coltart in the inclusive government wanted it in Lupane, with some wanting it in Bubi.
The Bubi leaders were not amused by the decision to have the school in Lupane and dismissed the move as "underhand" and to do with Bubi being a resettlement district and therefore, "detractors" — meaning those opposed to the land reform like the opposition did not want to see any development in the area.
Infact, the former education minister from the opposition MDC, Mr Coltart still associates up to today with the project despite the fact that his party and others in the opposition were opposed to the Look East Policy.
He says he influenced the decision to have the school at the capital of Matabeleland North, Lupane, where it is located now and about to be commissioned.
Recently, the Chinese contractor opened the school to children who will learn there as well as to parents, teachers, education officials, Government Public Works officials and the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Matabeleland North, Ndabazekhaya Cain Ginyilitshe Mathema, for them to see and have a feel of the new learning environment.
The education officials with the assent of the schoolchildren asked Mathema to request President Mugabe to commission the institution once the "final touch-ups are done" and "probably when schools open next term". "We want the children to have a feel of the school and don't become total strangers when they come here when schools open next term if everything goes according to plan," explained the Matabeleland Provincial Director for Education for Matabeleland North, Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni to the parents at the school after the tour.
"There are 231 pupils from Mtshibini and Lupane Primary Schools that will be enrolled here. For now we are just calling this institution China-Zimbabwe Primary School before the issue of the name is finalised."
Mtshibini Adventist Primary School Head, Mrs Nomathemba Ngwenya and a teacher from Lupane Primary School, Ms Sihle Ncube were part of those who visited the school and said they did not expect problems in the transfer of the pupils as parents were informed of the development.
As a result of the beauty and high quality facilities — including air conditioned classrooms that come at a time when there is talk of climate change where temperatures can soar up to 40 degrees Celsius making it unbearably hot, some parents from other schools other than Mtshibili and Lupane now want to transfer the children to the state-of-the art institution with a computer laboratory.
"Madam, I must comment, this is an excellent school, looking at facilities and all but is it possible for some of us to transfer our children from other schools like Makhovula to here?" asked Mr Lungisani Tshuma, who has four children attending Makhovula Primary School.
"Yes, it is possible but you will have to be cleared by the other school and the children must have proper accommodation with parents or guardians here at the Lupane Centre because we don't want a situation where we end up having bush boarding facilities," responded, the Provincial Education Director, Mrs Mnguni.
Another parent, Mr Bongani Moyo, was on cloud nine over the development.
"We would like to thank our District Education Officer (for Lupane), Mr (Simplicio) Gwanoya and the Matabeleland North Government officials as well as President Mugabe and of course the Chinese friends who have been good friends by building such a beautiful school for us," he said during the meeting after the tour of the school.
The pupils themselves marvelled at the facilities including the sports facilities and could not hide their excitement as they sang in appreciation of their new school.
"The furniture is on its way and so are the computers," says Mrs Mnguni.
The Provincial Affairs Minister, Mathema, is also happy with the development and pledges to push that things needed for the school to open are done before schools open for the second term.
"It's one of the beautiful schools in the country," he said. "You can see it has a computer laboratory and you know how important information technology is these days. We thank His Excellency for this institution. It is one of the signs that the Look East Policy that President Mugabe has embraced is paying dividends."
President Mugabe has over the years laid the introduction of information technology in schools donating thousands of computers throughout the country.
Commenting on the school, Mathema said he will encourage parents and education authorities to look into the possibility of building a school hall to complement these efforts.
"In the colonial era, the only schools that had assembly halls were those of the former A schools for the white children but we should now have that facility in all schools where children recite their pledge and assembly and so on," says Mathema.From the beginning of next term pupils will recite the following pledge before lessons: "Almighty God, in whose hands our future lies, I salute the national flag, I commit to honesty and dignity of hard work."
Mrs Mnguni added that there will also be need to establish a play centre for the early childhood development class.
Mathema expressed commitment to ensure the school opens at the beginning of next term.
"There are two major things that are left, that is for Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to connect water to the school and the provision of electricity by ZETDC and I am pushing for those two things to happen."
The Zinwa Operations Manager for the Gwayi Catchment, Engineer Otis Marowa, explained that the State Procurement Board had just approved the purchase of a transformer at a cost of $76 000 which will be used to energise the pump station at the Lupane-Bubi Dam which has been lying idle since the water source was commissioned in 2012.
Lupane-Bubi Dam is expected to end water problems in Lupane — which was declared a provincial capital in 1999 to speed up development projects.
The dam has a capacity of 40 million cubic metres of water which could supply consumers at the business centre and the surrounding areas throughout the year but at the moment the provincial capital draws water from boreholes.
Matabeleland North provincial heads of Government departments, some operating from Bulawayo have repeatedly called for connection of water to Lupane Government houses.
The civil servants point out that lack of adequate water supplies in the town was blocking their relocation.
Government has also put on the cards the relocation of Lupane State University from Bulawayo to its rightful home, Lupane town.
Source - sundaynews
