Former teacher builds primary school

GWERU — Renisia Ruzive nee Chikova, a former long-serving teacher, is in the process of fulfilling her
dream of providing quality education to children in her community.

Ruzive, who retired early in 2020, has taken on the ambitious task of building a primary school
named Jane Rivulet Academy on her plot in Umsungwe Block, near Green Valley, Gweru.

At 60 years old, Ruzive realised the need for a local school after noting that children in the area were
traveling long distances to the nearest educational institution, which ranged from 5 to 10km.

Motivated by the plight of these young learners, Ruzive convinced her family to subdivide a larger
portion of their plot to make room for the construction of a school.

After witnessing the hardships faced by local children who had to travel long distances just to
access education, my heart was deeply moved. I pleaded with my family to allow me to utilise part
of our farming area for the establishment of a school," Ruzive explained.

Ruzives husband, who is also retiring and returning home from South Africa, has been instrumental
in assisting her in acquiring the necessary building materials.

She is now looking for partners to help her fulfil the project whose costs have gone beyond her initial
budget. She is appealing to stakeholders, including corporate entities, local leadership, and the
donor community, to help fund the construction of Jane Rivulet Academy which is now at the
foundation level.

With the escalating prices of building materials, Ruzive requires a supplementary budget of
approximately US$60 000.

As a retired former teacher and a mother herself, she empathises with the children who, due to the
lack of nearby schools, often begin Grade 1 at the ages of eight or even 10.

The plight of these children, who are denied the opportunity to start their education at a young
age, weighs heavily on my heart. As a retired former civil servant, it is a challenge for me to gather
the necessary funds amidst the ever-increasing prices of building materials. said Ruzive.
In addition to her efforts in constructing Jane Rivulet Academy, Ruzive has set up an Early Child
Development Centre on the same site. Currently, the centre accommodates 20 learners.

The absence of nearby schools and the lack of convenient transportation make it extremely
challenging for kindergarten and early primary school pupils in our community. We are grateful to
have Mrs. Ruzive as our neighbour, working long days to construct this school for our children,"
expressed a resident from Greenvale.

Residents of Harben Park in the vicinity of Jane Rivulet Academy are praying for the swift completion
of the school in their community as their children are travelling long distances to attend Hwahwa
Prison School.

In light of the community’s plea, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology
Development Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, has encouraged teachers to take advantage of the
government’s policy to support innovative educationists in establishing their schools.

This initiative aims to promote industrialisation within the education sector and create opportunities
for entrepreneurship.

Quoting Section 75, Sub-section 2 of the constitution, Minister Murwira emphasised that anyone has
the right to be the founder of their school. He was concerned that many private schools are owned
by people with no formal teaching qualifications.