HILLSIDE Teachers’ College has acquired 600 hectares of land in Matobo District to construct a secondary boarding school, with 60 Form One pupils having already been enrolled.
Lessons for the learners are being conducted at the college’s premises in Bulawayo.
Hillside Teachers’ College’s move is part of a broader deliberate Government programme of having universities and colleges opening up own schools which will ease pressure on existing schools.
Last year Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said Government would fund innovative start-ups and urged graduate teachers to take advantage of the policy by opening up their own schools. He said the country was short by 3 000-4 000 schools and this was evident by the struggle which parents or guardians go through every year in January while looking for Form One places and the Second Republic was thus committed to eradicating that obstacle.
Speaking to Chronicle yesterday, Prof Murwira said the development by Hillside Teacher’s College was the first of many that will be taken by tertiary institutions in the country, with the full support of Government.
He described it as a ‘movement’ meant to change the education sector in the country which also dovetails well with the country’s vision of attaining a middle-income economy by the year 2030.
“Hillside Teachers’ College is establishing a Secondary school and this follows the Government’s policy of making education widely available by making sure that we develop infrastructure that also eases pressure on existing schools. The college has since been given a 600-hectare piece of land by Matobo Rural District Council where it will set up its school infrastructure. Education 5-0 speaks to colleges having their industrial parks and, in this case, those industrial parks are schools,” said the Minister.
“As Government we always frown every time we see parents toiling in queues looking for Form One places, it is a sign that we have a serious shortage of schools so this movement is about eradicating that and also fulfilling Section 75, Sub-section 2 of our Constitution.”
Hillside Teachers’ College principal Mr Sifelani Jabangwe said preparatory work towards construction of the school, to be wholly funded by Government, will resume once they have regularised the land allocation with the Matobo Rural District Council.
“We have been given and shown the land by the council but the process needs to go through a full council which is sitting next week. Once that is done, we will then draw our plans and present them to the ministry for approval,” said Mr Jabangwe.
Hillside Teachers’ College was established in 1956 at Heany Junction and moved to its present site in 1962. It was the first college to be accorded Associate status by the University of Zimbabwe.
By last night, Matobo Rural District council chief executive officer Elvis Sibanda has not responded to questions sent to him. – The Chronicle
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