Musa Makina
MATABELELAND rural communities have challenged government to implement a raft of measures to ensure rural learners are fully capacitated when schools finally re open this month.
This comes after government on Tuesday announced a phased programme for the re-opening of schools which had been shut for some time as a measure to curb the spread of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the rural communities feel that, government has for years neglected rural learners in a development that has seen successive poor pass rates in Matabeleland region, for the past decade or so.
“While we welcome the move by the government to open schools given the fact that the continued closure affect mostly the rural pupils who have no access to online learning, radio lessons due to internet and signals connectivity challenges, we how ever feel that the government should have at least addressed some of the fundamentals first that will militate against proper and effective learning,” Rural Communities Empowerment Trust coordinator Vumani Ndlovu said.
Ndlovu added that a lot needs to be done including dealing with teacher remuneration and ensuring that rural schools get adequate materials for Coronavirus prevention.
“We have strong feeling that teachers may not be able to travel to schools especially those in the rural areas citing incapacitation and lack of bus fares given that transport charges are now in forex when they are paid in local currency.”
Ndlovu further suggested that counselling services should also be provided to school children who had endured over one year of inadequate and improper learning.
“Sexual abuse, child labour, drug abuse have been rampant amongst school going children during the lock down period spanning over one year. They will definitely need counselling to bring their minds back to school.”
He however cited a number of reasons why Matabeleland schools have over the years recorded poor results as compared to other provinces in the country.
“Key being lack of adequate infrastructure and learning resources. The advent of the coronavirus pandemic from 2020 to date worsened the situation for the rural pupils.
“Quite a number of schools have inadequate classroom blocks which will make the issue of maintaining social distancing impossible and further most schools don’t have water and sanitation facilities when prevention against coronavirus require constant hand washing.
“Schools are under resourced as many parents cannot afford to pay school fees and as such majority of the rural schools in Matabeleland will not be able to provide sanitisers and face masks.”
