By Mazwi Mhletshwa
GWANDA (The Citizen Bulletin) — The closure of schools last year due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations exposed the inequalities that exist between the urban and rural folk.
The effects of the inequalities suffered by those in rural areas saw Grade 7 examination pass rate dismally dropping Matabeleland South Province.
Several schools recorded a zero per cent pass rate, including Riverblock, Koodoovale, Driehoke and Zindele primary schools. This has been attributed to non-attendance and lack of resources to facilitate online lessons.
Over the years, the pass rate in the rainbow province, particularly in the Gwanda District, has been low. Some of the schools are satellite schools whose enrolment is low and have no adequate resources.
When schools closed for the better part of the year in 2020, pupils, especially in exam classes, had to undergo online or radio lessons from national radio broadcasters. The communities today in rural Gwanda District have no network; this stalls their growth in tapping on the technology spectrum.
A parent from Bengo in Gwanda South, Uratile Nleya, says they have, over the years, rallied the government on the need to bridge the digital gap through the availing of network, but all their efforts have gone down the drain.
“For years and years, we have requested for the improvement of the network in the area, but our MP Abednico Ncube has done nothing about it as we still have to hunt for network spots that are not easily accessible distance wise.”
“This has affected our children who were writing Grade 7 as unlucky ones will have to travel long distances to get to the network while at the same time having household chores waiting for them which also affects their study time,” Nleya said.
A Grade 7 pupil Fortunate Ndlovu from Mntandewenema Primary School, who got 30 units, says lack of resources limited his capabilities.
“I learn in the rural areas, and even before the closure of schools, we had challenges in terms of the book ratio, which made it worse when schools closed, and we were left with totally nothing.
“We don’t have adequate network coverage in our area for radio or internet connections which means we did not learn during the closure of schools and only managed to do so when schools opened for a little, but it was too late as examinations had already arrived,” Ndlovu said.
On the contrary, a Grade 7 pupil Lorraine Zondo from Gwanda urban at My Cazalet Primary School, who attained six units and has already secured a form one place at Manama High School, says the effectiveness of online learning helped them a lot.
“I managed to participate in Radio Zimbabwe’s radio programs, and our teachers conducted online lessons on WhatsApp. We would later research more on the internet,” says Zondo.
Director of Communication in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Taungana Ndoro acknowledged that rural schools were badly affected by lack of network connectivity.
“We are yet to release statistics as per province as we are still in the assessment stages. However l can confirm that rural schools and mostly in the Matabeleland region produced low results mostly because some had no data, electricity and network,” he said.
Ndoro added that the Ministry of Education is currently working with the Ministry of ICT and the Ministry of Energy in a bid to try and find solutions to these long-standing challenges.
This article was originally published by The Citizen Bulletin, a non-profit news organization that produces hard-hitting, hyperlocal reporting and analysis for the southwestern region of Matabeleland. ne**@th****************.zw
