Mukuyu Primary School in Chief Mwanchingwala’s area fails to admit grade ones again

Mukuyu Primary School in Chief Mwanchingwala’s area of Mazabuka District has for a second year running failed to admit grade one pupils as a result of poor classroom blocks.

As a result, the primary school at the moment only starts from grade three with grade one and two being absent.

 ZANIS reports that both Mazabuka District Commissioner Eugene Munyama and Education Board Secretary Effie Hamamba confirmed the development in separate interviews in Mazabuka District, today.

Mr.  Munyama  said that the school has again this year like the case was last year not managed to enroll any pupils in grade one.

He disclosed that it has been difficult to enroll grade one pupils for the past two years at the primary school owing to advice given building experts from the Ministry of Education who described the classroom s were the pupils would have been learning from as inhabitable.

Mr.  Munyama however stated that government is aware of the situation prevailing at the school whose structures were inherited after a white farmer who used to live their departed from the farm and that everything possible is being done to rectify the problem.

The District Commissioner  stated that the district has done the necessary communication with various concerned ministries adding that the Provincial Education Standards Officer has since indicated his plans to intervene in the matter to enable the school to operate normally.

Mr. Munyama however blamed the community for not showing commitment towards advancing the education needs of their children accusing them of constantly refusing to partner with government in as far as the sourcing of building materials.

“My office and Chief Mwanachingwala have called for a series of meeting for the community in Mukuyu so that we could find a way of the affected children but the problem I have seen with that community is that they do not seem to be interested to do help out with activities such as the molding of blocks,” he lamented.

And  Ms.  Hambaba disclosed that her office was concerned with the current levels of illiteracy in the area saying urgent interventions need to be put in place to ensure that the community appreciates the value of educational.

She added that the ministry of Education in the district is equally concerned with the education gap that has been created at the school which only starts from grade three and hoped a solution will be quickly be found to the existing problem.

She explained that authorities in the District had no option but to heed to advice given by the building experts not to allow the classrooms where the grade ones where scheduled to learn from in order to avoid any eventualities.

And School Parents Teachers Association Chairperson Esnart Michelo has appealed to government to release some money to the school so that it could build no classroom and toilets.

Michelo said there is need to embark on a project of constructing new classrooms as well as toilets built at the school because the existing ones were not designed as classroom blocks and have since over lived their life span.