MWENEZI – One will be forgiven for imagining a school with state-of-the-art facilities when hearing the name Turf Primary School which is located in ward 15 of Mwenezi District, about 52 kilometres due East from Masvingo – Beitbridge road but getting on the ground will show you the total opposite.
Having been established in 2003, just after the chaotic
land reform programme which saw people flocking to white owned farms in Mwenezi
and Chiredzi districts, Nyangambe Turf Primary School has never seen any
meaningful development, with pupils still learning under trees with no chairs
nor desks.
Pupils from grade one to six endure the scotching summer
sun under leafless trees which shed their leaves during winter, using mud
bricks as chairs and their laps as desks.
There is no better season for the pupils as they have to
endure June and July’s colds, the sun in summer and rains in the wet season.
The school only started showing signs of development in
2020 when the first classroom block opened doors to Early Childhood Development
(ECD) level A and B as well and grade sevens, leaving the rest under trees
after a story by TellZim News which saw Unicef providing roofing material after
parents moulded bricks and contributed money for roof trusses and other
material requirements.
Turf Primary School has an enrolment of more than 311
pupils; 150 boys and 161 girls, who in most cases will not go to secondary
school after completing grade seven owing to the distance between the area and
the nearest secondary school which is 80 kilometres from Turf.
Speaking during a tour by Minister of State in the
President’s office responsible for monitoring the implementation of government
programme Joram Gumbo, the school heard Bernad Chauke said the school has a
plethora of challenges which many would find difficult to believe in this era.
The only two blocks at the school are not fully functional,
with the only one being used since 2020 and the second one will be open for use
soon if funds permit for its completion.
“During rains, all our pupils will be crowded in the available
class, a situation that is difficult for us to deliver lessons. During sunny
days pupils are exposed to the harsh summer sun under trees since each class
was allocated its tree to do lessons under,” said Chauke.
Chauke went on to say pupils at the school were far behind
in terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) since the school
has no single computer or any source of electricity even if they are to have a
computer anytime soon.
“Our pupils do not even know a computer; we don’t have any
computer at the school let alone electricity. During lessons, we just show them
pictures of computers and in some cases if one of the staff members has a
tablet we will show them and that will be the closest thing to a computer they
will know,” said Chauke.
Connectivity is another challenge, a development which has
seen the school taking time to access communication from the district offices
and other stakeholders.
He went on to say they have no security at the school as
there is no fence or perimeter wall, a development which has seen both wild and
domestic animals frequenting the school premises .
Chauke also said the area had no health facility with the
nearest being Mwenezi District Hospital which is more than 100km away.
“There is no health facility near here so it’s difficult to
deal with any health emergency at school and even the community around.
“There is no transport to connect us to the main road
though the road is in good good shape. We appeal to authorities to avail even a
single Zupco bus here so that we can link with other areas when we need
services,” he said.
The school has no staffroom and for meetings teachers gather under a thatch shade, a place where they can also connect to the network. TellZimNews
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