The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has launched its disaster risk management and resilience plan in its efforts to strengthen its disaster preventation strategies.
The plan is expected to cascade to all the country’s provinces.
Speaking as she launched the document at a local hotel last week, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela said natural disasters continue to wreck havoc at the country’s schools.
Mrs Thabela said preparedness should start with adherence to the Ministry’s guidelines on disaster risk reduction and the construction of resilient infrastructure.
“It is our mandate to ensure the safety and well-being of all our learners in schools. The infrastructure we erect in all our institutions should conform to safety needs as guided by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
“Going forward, we need to use resilient building materials that can withstand any extreme weather condition,” she said.
“We developed the plan to guide educationists on steps that they must take in preparing as well as mitigating natural and manmade disasters.
“Natural hazards have a great potential of wiping out whole communities as we witnessed during Cyclone Idai, so we need to prepare for these emergencies so that we effectively respond in future.
“Some of our old school infrastructure buckled under Cyclone Idai. Where we had a school one day, we had a heap of rubble the next day. We thank God that Cyclone Idai struck during the night when most of our weak school infrastructure was not in use. It is thus not by coincidence that this launch takes place in Manicaland,” said Mrs Thabela.
She also said it is important for disaster awareness and preparedness to become engraved in our communities.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Eductaion recognises that we cannot reduce risk and prepare for disasters in isolation. Therefore, it is important to rope in our communities, development partners and other Government ministries.This will help ensure that all our learners, education personnel, education facilities and the parents are safe.
“The Education Ministry cannot guess when disasters will strike, but we can boost the capacity of teachers, learners and the community to defend themselves when disaster strikes,” she said.
Mrs Thabela also thanked development partner, UNICEF, for complimenting Government’s efforts in producing the disaster risk management and resilience plan.
UNICEF’s chief of education, Ms Joelle Ayite said her organisation is committed to help the Government of Zimbabawe in creating a safe learning environment.
“UNICEF has been a partner of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for a long time. This disaster risk management and resilience plan is critical as it prepares Government for future disasters because we know they will unfortunately happen again.
“The main element of the plan is to prepare schools for them to be able to respond to any crises. UNICEF will continue to stand with the Education Ministry,” she said.
