Japanese govt gives school $83 000 construction grant

By The Standard | Sep. 30, 2017 | 2 Min read

CHISHUKU Secondary School in Chirumanzu has received a timely boost from the Japanese government following the extension of an $83 000 grant for the construction and furnishing of four classroom blocks, two teacher’s houses, ablution blocks, borehole and fence.

BY MUNESU NYAKUDYA

The grant was extended in March this year under the Grants for Grassroots Human Security Projects, with a local NGO, Local Initiative and Development (LID) Agency, being the implementing partner.

“Previously, boys and girls learning at Chishuku Secondary School did not have their own classrooms. They had to study under a tree, borrow a classroom from the neighbouring primary school, or even use an abandoned horse stable for their lessons,” the Japanese embassy in Zimbabwe said in a statement said.

“There was little or no furniture. The teachers at the school did not have any accommodation, and the school did not have its own water source. The school’s educational environment was thus unacceptable for the boys and girls, whose school years are so precious.”

The embassy said the local community had taken it built two classroom blocks and the two ablution blocks through their own initiative. The classrooms were almost complete and only needed to be painted through the project.

The community also provided bricks and labour for the additional two classroom blocks and teacher houses, which allowed the project to be completed quickly and cost effectively.

Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Toshiyuki Iwado, who handed over the new facilities to the school on Tuesday, praised the community’s spirit to improve their school.

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Iwado noted that education was the single most important factor for the future of Zimbabwe.

“Schools are therefore the most important building blocks,” said the top Japanese diplomat in the country, while expressing hope that future leaders of Zimbabwe would emerge from Chishuku Secondary School.