Chief: teachers should use our languages

Chinese gift … a block of class rooms

The chief said this Saturday after the Chinese Embassy handed over a new primary school in Lupane to the government at a colourful ceremony. Chief Mabhikwa thanked the Chinese for the gesture, saying the local community was going to benefit immensely from the school.

The Lupane China-Africa Friendship primary school was built at a cost of $1.7 million and will alleviate the shortage of schools in the area.

The state of the art school consists of 7 primary school classrooms and 3 infant classrooms and will have an enrolment of about 40 pupils.

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Huang Ping, said his country was committed to supporting the development of education in Zimbabwe.

“Today we are not only handing over a school but a well prepared gift for our Zimbabwean friends,” said the Chinese Ambassador at the ceremony.

“Zimbabwe now has another modernised primary school with well-equipped facilities for administrative, teaching, experiments, sports and many other purposes, enabling it to cultivate more and more Zimbabwean talent.”

The Chinese Ambassador emphasised that education is crucial to the development of a country.

Accepting the donation on behalf of government, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora said the gesture was a testimony of the strong ties between the two countries.

“We are happy to receive this demonstration of enduring friendship between the two republics,” said Dokora.

He added that government was committed to improving infrastructure in the education sector, pointing out that the state was doing its best to improve teachers’ accommodation especially in rural schools.

The school was constructed by the Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company, which has, among other projects, buit the National Defence College, Longcheng Plaza in Harare and the Grace Mugabe owned Iron Mask School.

The company also donated stationery and equipment worth $5000 to the school.