THE Japanese government has come to the rescue of Molo Primary School teachers and pupils who have used dilapidated grass thatched, pole and dagga class rooms and cottages since the school was established in 2000.
Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Yoshinobu Hiraishi, on Wednesday handed over four new modern standard classroom blocks as well as ten multi-compartments Blair toilets to the school which is located in Bubi district in Matabeleland North.
The Japanese funded construction and furnishing of the new school to the tune of $112,039 while World Vision Zimbabwe implemented the project with the local community chipping in with labour, bricks and sand.
Before construction of the new school buildings, teachers and pupils had, for years, endured a tough learning environment in three makeshift pole and dagga classroom blocks which resembled a make shift refugee camp.
“Before the construction of the school, the learning environment was very terrible,” said school headmaster Fortune Moy.
“Pupils were sitting on tree logs while some sat on bare dusty floors. One of the mud blocks collapsed early this year following heavy rains. Luckily no one was injured.”
Too dangerous to continue using ... One of the disused classroom blocks at the school
Moyo said as a result of squalid learning conditions at the school, the school’s pass rate has been very low.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, ambassador Hiraishi expressed hope that the new school would result in an improved learning environment and better examination results.
“It is our sincere hope that the improvement of learning environment at this school for both teachers and pupils will achieve better grade results thereby enabling pupils to proceed to secondary school and ultimately tertiary education so that they can contribute to their community and country as a whole,” he said.
Molo School was established in June 2000 and currently has an enrolment of 323 and eight teachers.
Welcome Japanese help ... One of the four new classroom blocks funded by Japan