I would like to bring to your attention that Nyashonjwa Primary School is not a new project "established as a campaign success story by current MP Simba Mudarikwa". If Mr Mudarikwa is boasting that the school was his project then it is unfortunate.
The reason why the community, including myself, wanted a primary school in that area was because the nearest school, Mashambanhaka, is far especially for young children coming from villages such as Nyakupfuka and Muchabaiwa (where I come from) in the valley of Nyashonjwa River. Because of the gruelling journey to Mashambanhaka School, many of my friends ended up dropping out of school.
Many new villages such as Ngide in Mukuruanopamenza Mountains and Chausa and Madzwawawa Extension in the Nyaguwe River bed have also been established and are too far away from Mashambanhaka. This is why parents saw it fit to have a school nearer home.
For the record, the school is not in Mashambanhaka village as reported in your article. That project hung in the balance for close to 20 years because Headman Kondo refused to let go his land until a Mr Chivhinge from another village sacrificed his fields for the school to stand where it is today.
Villagers approached donors and individuals for assistance and the project was taken over by Nhowe Mission. It also provided the teacher-in-charge, who is also taking charge of Grades 1 and 2. For the record, no teachers are being forced to transfer from Mashambanhaka School to Nyashonjwa School as was reported in your paper.
Mudarikwa has no power to order teachers’ transfers to the new school and the school is not a Zanu (PF) project but a community project. Mudarikwa, as the MP used funds from the Parliamentary Community Development Funds to buy some roof sheets for the one block being used now. The money was not from his personal account, and if he misled the people that it was his money it was unfortunate.
Unless there are other issues at play that are not yet known to me, I think politics is at play here and someone somewhere might be trying to gain some political mileage using your paper.
The next time your reporter visits Nyashonjwa again he/she should also seek audience with the community around the school so that the readers get well informed. – Jonga Kandemiiri, Uzumba
NB: A grade 4 female teacher (name supplied) at Mushambanhaka Primary School, is currently shuttling between the school and the Mashonaland East Provincial Education offices where her forced transfer to Nyashonjwa Primary School is being addressed.
If a teacher is transferred to a school against her will and takes the matter to the provincial education staffing offices, something must be wrong.
Likewise if the headmaster of the school where the affected teacher works refuses to put reasons for the transfer in writing – for fear of his personal safety – again one would be convinced that something was wrong. – ED
Post published in: Letters to the Editor