Govt to uplift school standards

THE new dispensation is committed to ensuring best standards for primary and secondary school pupils by addressing all the challenges in the education sector, Minister of State for Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs David Musabayana has said.

Minister Musabayana made the remarks while addressing members of the Junior Parliament during the Mashonaland East Junior Parliament’s 26th session, which was held at Kushinga Phikelela College in Marondera yesterday.

The junior parliamentarians raised several issues affecting children in schools.

In his response to the challenges raised, Minister Musabayana, who was the guest speaker, urged students to embrace the new curriculum, saying it benefited those who want to become entrepreneurs and also those who would look for employment.

He said it was the new dispensation’s wish that all schools, particularly in the rural areas, were electrified.

“The new curriculum also emphasises on information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge, but most schools are lagging behind in implementing this because their schools are not electrified,” he said.

“However, as the Government, we are implementing strategies which will see considerable amounts of energy being fed into the national grid and this will make it easy for our schools to have power.

“We have also a programme to install solar energy in schools to ease electricity challenges.”

On the shortage of teachers, Minister Musabayana said he would raise the issue with the relevant authorities so that no student was deprived of their right to education. He said the Government had a programme of drilling boreholes in schools so that there would be safe drinking water.