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Takawira Photvet Dapi

Guruuswa Primary and secondary school in Hwedza, which has been conducting classes from tobacco curing barns since the beginning of land reform, has constructed modern conventional classrooms using devolution funds.

The school is in the former commercial farming area in Watershed West, where people were resettled under the land reform programme in 2001.

Since then children have been learning from makeshift classrooms in tobacco barns.

This year pupils will use conventional classrooms and the community is grateful to the Government under the new dispensation for investing in the future of their children’s education.

Hwedza Rural District Council built the new classroom blocks using devolution funds released by the Government in 2021.

During a tour of the school last week, Watershed West Ward-1 Councillor Sheilar Mugabe said: “Classes at Guruuswa Secondary School and its primary have now been moved from these tobacco barns into state-of- the-art blocs, thanks to the new dispensation.

“We thank you our New Dispensation for the devolution funds we received since 2021.

“We have managed to purchase the cement to finish off a second block and bought roofing material such as timber, sheets, painting and an alarm system for protection of examination papers.

“Our Form Four learners have been writing examinations at a school 20km away and we want them to learn and write examinations from here,’’ she said.

Clr Mugabe said Guruuswa was the only secondary school within a 20km radius and its upgrade will go a long way in changing the fortunes of many children.

“We are very excited that this 2022, all students will be back here learning and probably sitting for national examinations from here.

“Guruuswa Secondary School is the only secondary school in Watershed West, hence our happiness for the devolution funds. Thank you to our Resident Minister Aplonia Munzverengi, our legislator David Musabayana, the whole school development committee and their school head Mrs Sibongile Miranzi who has been working tirelessly to make sure the school develops.

“We got $1.5m and we made good use of it. We thank Hwedza Rural District Council for changing our children’s learning environment from barns to real classrooms.

“Many students dropped and some transferred because of the bad conditions.

Village head Uticas Nechiware saluted the Government for keeping its promises on devolution fund.

“We thank our New Dispensation Government’s devolution funds. We now have blocs for our children and everyone knows the barns were never a good learning place.

Council chairman, Alderman Phillip Sandengu Negombwe led the tour of the ward.

“We want to thank President Mnangagwa and his Second Republic for affording us the devolution funds, without their fatherly blessing, the children would not be learning well,’’ he said.