A councillor in Mangwe has made an urgent appeal to well-wishers and donors for building materials to construct a local primary school to tackle poor pass rates linked to long and dangerous travel distances for learners.
In an interview, Tshetshukuza Ngwenya, the Ward 2 Izimnyama councillor, noted the severe daily challenge faced by children in the ward, who travel approximately 10 kilometres to the nearest school, Vaka Primary.
The journey involves crossing more than four rivers, including the Somajaha and Ziyababa.
“The situation becomes dire during the rainy season, where children have to cross big rivers, sacrificing for their education,” Ngwenya told Southern Eye.
“The danger is acute when rains catch them while they are between these rivers.”
He explained that the exhausting and hazardous commute severely impacts academic performance.
“This affects the pass rate significantly because children lose quality time for education and arrive at school already fatigued,” Ngwenya said.
The community plans constructing Nxele Primary School.
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A project is already underway, with a foundation slab laid for a block intended to house Grade One and early childhood development classes.
“We have done the slab. We want to construct a block so we can start enrolling in Grade One soon,” Ngwenya said.
While the immediate focus is the school, Ngwenya noted other critical needs for community development, such as solarising boreholes and developing other earmarked projects.
He cited limited funding from the financially constrained local council as a major hurdle.
“We are appealing to donors, especially those in the diaspora. We wish for them to come and invest at home for the sake of future generations,” he said.
