Zim to focus on upgrading satellite schools in 2024

Bulawayo (New Ziana) -The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will next year prioritise upgrading satellite schools in resettlement areas into fully fledged learning facilities, an official has said.

Ministry permanent secretary Moses Mhike told New Ziana in an interview that the government was concerned with pupils who are still walking long distances to schools.

“As a Ministry in 2024, our focus is going to be on revamping satellite schools that are almost 85 percent, to ensure they are completed.

“One of the major challenges is the provision of schools across the country. We still have under-serviced areas such as the resettlements. We want to ensure they become fully fledged schools and by the end of the year we say we have completed 20 satellite schools and kids are going to school.

“Let us not start any other new project in terms of construction of schools and concentrate on those that we already have. We need to finish them so that we are able to make an impact,” said Mhike.

He said the Ministry will also work with development partners who it will provide necessary information which may assist in the development of education in marginalised areas.

“As a Ministry, we don’t work alone but we have a number of development partners who have always supported the Ministry.

Mhike said his Ministry was also working towards mobilising tools of trade for its staff across the country citing some districts that are operating without a single vehicle.

“It`s an area of focus and we have already started talking to Treasury so that they can avail all those resources,” he said.

He said another area of concern was the shortage of textbooks in schools, adding that the Ministyry has since moved away from physical textbooks to digitalisation of learning materials.

New Ziana