THE Primary and Secondary Education ministry-appointed
commission probing the purchase of a defective bus by Lukanyiso Primary School
in Mpopoma, Bulawayo, two years ago has ordered that the controversial vehicle
be taken back to its manufacturers.
The purchase of the defective bus at a cost of $121 000 has
been a source of conflict between the school and the ministry after parents
rejected it when it developed mechanical faults upon delivery.
The bus was sourced from Harare’s Willowvale Vehicle Body
Engineering in collaboration with Deven Engineering. Reports have shown that
the bus was not new, but
a repainted old vehicle, forcing parents to demand an
inquiry.
The matter was reported to the police and was also later
reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, while meetings between
provincial education
officers, the bus manufacturer, parents and the school
development committee to find a solution to the crisis have not yielded
results.
In a latest development, a commission chaired by Albert
Chikaka, which was appointed by the Primary and Secondary Education ministry
and parents to probe the
bus issue has ordered that it be immediately returned.
“After the findings of the commission, we have resolved
that the bus be returned to the manufacturer with immediate effect. We have
since notified the ministry
and other stakeholders of its condition and the conflict
involved. So, we are expecting that by now the bus should be in Harare,”
Chikaka said in an interview.
It is understood that an audit into the purchase of the bus
was once instituted by the Education ministry, but the final report has been
kept under wraps under
unclear circumstances, a development that infuriated
parents and guardians, who have been at the forefront in pushing for an audit.
The parents have on several occasions written to the
Primary and Secondary Education ministry provincial officials to institute the
probe, demanding answers
and compensation for the purchase of a defective bus. Newsday
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