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The Herald, June 8, 1984

BOTH rural and urban local authorities are responsible for building primary schools in their areas while central government will only run and maintain them, the Minister of Education, Cde Dzingai Mutumbuka said yesterday.

Responding to questions on the provision of education in urban areas at the 43rd annual conference of the Association of Urban Councils, the minister said that urban authorities should not forever depend on beer sales as the only source of revenue.

Cde Mutumbuka said that he had been impressed by the rural people’s commitment to self-reliance in the provision of schools and clinics but added that the “reluctance of urban people to do the same is a major concern to Government”.

He told delegates that Government plans were that each district should have a Government secondary school.

He urged local authorities to educate their people to work together and raise funds for social services.

Cde Mutumbuka said the seeking of school places in urban areas by pupils from rural areas, with some travelling across the country, was “hindering planning”. He added that the Government was looking into the matter. – Ziana.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

The construction of schools is not the sole responsibility of Government. It should involve all stakeholders including parents and the private sector.

Since independence, the Government has been very proactive in building schools in both the rural and urban areas to complement the work that has been done by churches.

Some of the schools have been built by Government arms such as urban and rural district councils. Lately, individuals have joined the fray and are also building private schools which has helped to mitigate the shortage of schools in the country.

Parents in the rural areas have been very proactive in ensuring that schools are built in their areas. Most of these parents have been moulding bricks, mobilising building material and volunteering their labour in addition to the support they get from the Government and their local Members of Parliament.