The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure and Luthando Mapepa
AN acute shortage of Form One places resulting from a deficit of high schools in towns and infrastructure at existing ones marred the opening of the First Term, with the parent ministry pushing some institutions to introduce hot-seating to accommodate hundreds of learners who failed to secure places in Manicaland.
The Manica Post has it on good authority that hundreds of prospective Form One learners were left stranded after failing to secure enrolment at urban public schools within walking distance, with heads saying their institutions were full.
The school heads were also reluctant to introduce hot-seating, citing shortage of teachers as well as administrative challenges emanating from such an arrangement.
Some schools introduced double session learning in 2022, but are still to get a full complement of teachers.
A shortage of Science teachers has hit several schools in the province as the few available ones have joined private practice, leaving public schools inquandary.
So dire is the situation that some of the affected schools have gone for more than a year without teachers for Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Manicaland needs at least 50 new schools to ease the pressure on existing ones as a high number of urban learners are now turning to peri-urban institutions after failing to secure places closer to home.
The teacher-learner ratio at most urban schools is above 1:70.
The acute shortage of Form One places was witnessed in Mutare, Chipinge and Rusape where hundreds of parents are still knocking on school heads’ offices without recourse.
Rusape and Chipinge, despite their geographical expansion and population growth, have two public high schools each.
The existing schools are failing to accommodate a high inflow of learners from overcrowded feeder primary schools in the towns, making it a tradition for prospective Form One and Five learners to face a torrid timein trying to secure learning places.
Day schools in Mutare, Rusape and Chipinge enrolled Form Ones mid-December 2022 to an overwhelming response from prospective learners.
With most parents avoiding boarding schools due to high fees and reduced enrolments, competition at mega day schools was so stiff that those with poor results at Grade Seven fell by the wayside.
Rusape, which has a population of over 45 000 people, has five primary and two high schools; thereby forcing many learners from the town to enrol at peri-urban schools like Sanzaguru, Chiundu, Tsindi and Mt Camel high schools.
New suburbs like Magamba, Crocodile, Sliverbow and Mabvazuva have no schools.
In Mutare, a lot of learners who failed to secure places in the city have since enrolled in Zimunya and Dora.
Chipinge has two secondary schools.
The Manica Post has since established that classes at these schools carry more than 70 learners each, while a few of them have textbooks.
This has led to the mushrooming of satellite schools that offer shoddy services for a fortune. Manicaland Provincial Education Director (PED), Mr Edward Shumba admitted that there were challenges in the mentioned towns, saying existing schools may be forced to introduce double sessions.
“We have shortages, especially in towns where new suburbs are being established without adequate social amenities. We could be having a crisis in Rusape and Chipinge, which have two secondary schools each that are overcrowded. In Mutare, a high number of learners are attending peri-urban schools after failing to secure places in town.
“Government is trying its best to establish schools in these areas, but the projects are still at infancy stage. If there is pressure, then double session is the alternative because we cannot build a school overnight. We may be forced to make do with the existing schools without depriving the learners of their right to education,” said Mr Shumba.
Private institutions are also oversubscribed.
First Class Group of Schools director, Mr Stephen Mutsongodza said: “We are oversubscribed this year.
The demand for places was just too high and we hope something will be done to accommodate all learners.
We will continue complementing Government’s efforts to provide quality education to Zimbabweans.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the country attains Vision 2030. We also subscribe to President Mnangagwa’s “nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” mantra; hence we will not be found wanting in ensuring that the country maintains its status as the most literate country in Africa.”
A parent from Chipinge, who refused to be named, was left furious after failing to secure a place at Gaza High School during the selection process.
“I had to look for an alternative peri-urban school for my sonat an extra cost. Imagine a 14-year-old boy walking 16km to and from school? It is a bad introduction to secondary education,” said the parent.
In Chipinge and Rusape, there are proposals from local authorities and residents to convert council infrastructure like country clubs and halls into classrooms to bridge the gap.
Gaza HighSchool head, Mr Stanley Thondlana said the situation was beyond his school’s control.
The school went out of its way to turn a council hall into classrooms, but demand is still overwhelming.
MrThondlanadecried the shortage of schools in the town, saying this was fuelling pressure on existing ones.
“There is a lot of pressure from the community, but we cannot accommodate everyone at the school. Our enrolment now stands at 2300 learners instead of 1500 that can be accommodated in existing infrastructure. We made an extension of the school by converting a council hall into classrooms and there are four of them, but demand is still high,”said MrThondlana.
Acting ChipingeDistrict Schools Inspector (DSI), MrAbsonMapfumo said plans are underway to address the current imbalances in Chipinge town.
“As a district, we are currently working with development partners to de-congest the leaner population at some of our schools to create a conducive environment,” he said.
In Rusape, Vengere High has embarked on an ambitious project to build a 10-classroom double storey block to accommodate more learners.
Out of the 50 schools needed in Manicaland, six new ones are already being built across the province.
These include Magamba Primary (Rusape), Nyangani 2 Secondary (Nyanga), Budiriro Primary (Makoni), Chimbudzi Secondary (Buhera), DC Mutasa Secondary (Mutasa) and Raheen-Hobhouse Primary School in Mutare and are being constructed under the Public Sector Investment Programme.
Chimbudzi Secondary School is a satellite institution being upgraded into a boarding school, while DC Mutasa Secondary seeks to decongest Pafiwa High School.
