This is heart breaking, It's not only killing the present generation but it's TOTAL TRAGEDY to those to come. Kulusizi ngoba lanxa esitsho ugavena wakhona ukuthi kuyingoba izikolo zakithi kazila fenitsha, ingwalo le-infra structure eyaneleyo, lamatitshala and that "some schools are endowed with more resources than others" uba sekusiza ku solution she chickens out from the direct truth which is marginalisation of those communities. Instead of hammering on the persons and systems responsible for lack adequate resources she says pple in those communities should chip in, Mthwakazi asidonseni kanye kanye ngoba usapho lwakwethu luyatshabalala and akekho ozalusiza ngaphandle kwakho lami.

Mat North schools record poor results

Bulawayo Bureau

ABOUT 50 primary and secondary schools in Matabeleland North province recorded a zero percent pass rate during public examinations written last year, a development that education officials and politicians is a tragedy for the young people.



Speaking during the Better Schools Programme’s provincial merit awards at Sir Edmund Davies Hall in Hwange on Friday, the Governor and Resident Minister for Matabeleland North province, Cde Thokozile Mathuthu, expressed dismay at the poor academic results produced by the schools.

Twenty-six primary schools in the province recorded a zero percent pass rate while 22 secondary schools failed to produce a single student that passed five or more subjects at Ordinary Level national examinations written last year.

"I am reliably informed that 26 primary and 22 secondary schools at "O" level in the province recorded a zero percent pass rate in 2006 national examinations," said Cde Mathuthu.

She said that the poor performance by schools in the province was largely attributed to the lack of adequate furniture, stationery, infrastructure, teachers and a responsive community.

"The practical reality in our situation is that some schools are better endowed than others in terms of resources," said Cde Mathuthu.

She, however, urged communities to assist the Government by actively participating in initiatives that sought to ensure a better learning environment for their children, adding that education played a pivotal role in shaping one’s future.

"Communities differ in their appreciation of the role education plays in the development of a child. Accordingly, they will do all it takes to ensure that their schools are well equipped.

"They (communities) will even go out of their way to employ extra teachers that fall outside the stipulated authorised establishments based on the teacher-pupil ratio," said Cde Mathuthu.

She applauded the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture for according students an opportunity to nurture their talents by introducing sporting and cultural activities in their curriculums.

The governor said sports and arts industries were proving to be the major employers in this modern era and as such, schools should strive to identify and nurture pupils’ talents during their nascent stages.

"We have to identify children’s talents early and assist the children to reach the pinnacle of their endeavours. Ladies and gentlemen, it is our mandate therefore to identify, nurture and guide our students to excellence," said Cde Mathuthu.

Excelling primary and secondary schools as well as outstanding pupils and students were awarded certificates, floating trophies and prize money, with Nobuhle Nobhula of Mosi-otunya High School becoming the first ever student in the province to score 16 points at Advanced Level.

Also present during the function was the provincial administrator, Ms Latiso Dlamini, the provincial education director, Mrs Boitatelo Mguni, the deputy, Mr Adam Bango Dube, and various Government officials from the province.

It is indeed heart-wrenching, i am torn apart, my heart is bleeding for our children.
But luckily we could put a stop on that predicament, we could built libraries and resource them, school or community libraries or combined. Some of us in the diaspora have access to many different books and with people with massive resources which could be chanelled to our children in remote areas. This can be done and should be done.

"Kill them before they grow...." is the Mgaxa govt strategy. Mina nawe sisa xotshanisa inotho, imali siyinika abacindezeli nyangazonke lapha ku diaspora. Vuka Mthwakazi, siyafa isizwe and mina nawe are contributing kulokho.

It's a moral dilemma ngiyazi kodwa-ke.... asazi shuwa.

not exactly a moral dilemma because Mfowethu lawe you had to survive at the individual level, which is not wrong. i do agree with you however that we find ourselves in a huge conundrum. but i think that the fact that we have people who can already identify the problem like you do is a step in itself. what remains to be seen is if Mthwakazi can really rise above this and take the initiative to say that we can do this with or without a hand from the government, which to me seems is in fact silently content that the situation in Mthwakazi is turning out the way it currently is.

Kungabe njani ukuthi Inkundla iorganize ifund raising event in London, sishaye imali sithengele abantwana ezikolo ezithile eMat North izifanelo zesikoleni. Mina ngithi loba kanjani embuthanweni onjalo ngingaba khona uma ngingaphumelelanga ngizocela uSibalukhulu enze kube possible ukuthi ngifake imali yami towards the cause.

Asizameni Mthwakazi.

Kasincedeni.lami ngizimisele ukuphosela okuncane engilakho for the benefit of abantwabethu. it is the same story eMatebeleland South or should i say in all mthwakazi areas.but from experience we might be told that uncedo lwethu kaludingakali or basitshele ukuthi sinike iZanu kube yiyo elupha abantu. as said above; this is a calculated move by the government to kill off umthwakazi.
KASENZENI

There are many ways to tackling this predicament. What matters most is our willingness and determination and the thermometer to this is how much we are prepared to part with for the cause (in cash or kind). One practical way of doing is this:
Formation of associations of former students to the schools we attended or communities we belong to.
These associations will then set developmental targets focussing on their schools.
Ideas and resources will be hanessed from those persons and any other well wishers.
To enable participation of those abroad sybernetics can be used.
Bank accounts can be opened in the names of these associations thru which funds can be chanelled.
The associations can be subject to audit to ensure bona fide & best practice in the management of the resources.

However this idea requires someone to stand up, go to the respective school, market the idea and convince the school leadership. There after with the blessing of the school leadership try to identify and group those former students. This may require massive advertising which is not only confined to Zim.

If in this Inkundla we've been able to identify abangane lesafunda labo, and've giggled & had fun on the discovery, I'm sure we can as well discover each other and work for our communities.

I know there are many more ideas which are even more brilliant amunyethwe ngabafowethu lapha enkundleni. All that is deficient is action. Asenzeni badala akusehluli lokhu!!!!

It's true, that is one possibility uba izimali zibuthelelwa ngaphandle kwelizwe besezilethwa as a donation to a school, it is quite easy for these to be labelled as funds from bleya to finance emudisi. Kumbe if we say izimali zimele zidistributhwe ezikolweni they can easily take them over and distribute but not in the spirit of the donor. But if there is a school development association of former students some of whom actually reside in the respective community (and any other who might be willing to participate) who are chanelling funds thru a known bank account which is in he name of the school association chances become slim for these to be labelled as such.
However this should be known that whatever endevours we may make we will meet with resistance, but that should not work to discourage us. Let us have the spirit eku-Cont, forge on, forge ahead, again and again and again futhi, whether yu hit on a brick wall phinda njalo baze bakujayele njengo phayasi. As long as yu are vigilant lest yu be caught on the wrong side of the law.

Bafowethu.

I Zwangendaba lithi, ungazama ukuyibonda ungayixhwathisanga uyakupheka imboza. Yikho osekusenziwa ngo Governor laba. Bayazimangalisa ukuthi abantwana kabaphumeleli ezimfundweni bona besazi ukuthi ngumsebenti wenhlanganiso YABO iZANU.

Nabaka Mgqozo shuwa.

Gas, ngiyakuzwa baba ngendaba zokuthumela izinto ekhaya. Ngazama ukuthumela ama bhuku ngiwanikezwe yi New York Library for FREEE. Lama "Barrels" angu 2 in which they were packed ebhaliwe ukuthi "DONATIONS". Ngabhadala only $200 for the shipment ngezikepe aze ayafika e Beit-Bridge. Then the ZANU Gvt demanded U$4000.00, angidlali, Four thousand dollars in duty fees. Aphenduka abuyela e Joburg.

Kuzakuba nzima lokhu esizama ukukwenza kodwa singazama.

Umbono wami uthi, ISIKHATHI SISESEKHONA, ASEHLUKANENI LE Zimbabwe. Vuka Mthwakazi, we have no business in Zimbabwe.

Li Zwangendaba.

Angizwa kahle la. On the one hand lithi kasi zenzeleni if kuyizinto ze 'development' kodwa if kuyikuzimela sisodwa kwezo mbangazwe, kalifuni, lithi ngeke sizimele sisodwa njengo Mthwakazi.
If sizenzela, kakugoqele yonke into/indawo, including eyokuvuselela izwe lika Mthwakazi otherwise siyabe sidlala ngesikhathi sethu if sikhumbula singa zenzela within a Shona framework, just like it was impossible for onsundu to zenzela within the Rhodesian framework - yikho kwaliwa.

Kunjalo-nje, ibambeni ngempela size siyibone, lingay'yeki baf'ethu!

Yu are right Skumvethe, as long as we are operating within and are subject to the current systems zasezimbabwe we can never attain what we desire in totality. However despite that, we should note ukuthi these children need to learn today, whether we have realised our dream of yokuzimeala sodwa or not, they have to go school & learn today, which is why we are talking about developmental issues despite ukuthi we are still subjects of these systems. Remember despite the set backs zempi yenkululeko le gukurahundi you and I managed ukuyalunguza esikolo because somebody made effort against all odds. So ngokunjalo while we work towards removing ourselves from them we can help our little sisters and brothers. The two do not conflict but should be complementary.
Concerning those who say akuyenzi ukuthi uMthwakazi azimele yedwa, consider those as differences in opinion. By the way cowards will always be there, the naive shall always be found within the Mthwakazi pple, however their opinions and thoughts should not be allowed to prevail. Instead of concentrating on them and their ideas concetrate on those who share the same idea as yos, together develop the idea to a dream and work towards achieving the dream.
If we look forward to a day when all of us as Mthwakazi will have the same mind and opinion besekuyikhona siyoqala ukwenza, that day will never come. Ingani langesikhathi sempi yamabhunu leyegukurawundi babekhona abathengisi ababethengisa abafowabo.

Gaselomhle

Manje usuyitshaye esikhonkosini. if any one among us thought for one second ukuthi kuzoba lula ukusebenzisana labantu ababusayo okwamanje, then such an individual will better come to his/her senses. these people are so full of themselves they have never thought that any other person besides them can ever come up with good ideas, and that is why they have run the country aground, precisely because they always thought that theirs were the smartest ideas.

ngingachithi isikhathi ngabo. engikutshoyo yikuthi history will condemn us if sirudula amehlo singenzi lutho ngoba sithi thina izinto zinzima. kasikhumbuleni ukuthi labeza phampi kwethu zwakunzima lakubo, kodwa lokho kakubavimbanga ukuthi balwele lokho ababekholwa kukho. one of the ways to deal with ama-shipments anjalo yikuthi you initially post them to South Africa. then nxa eseseMzansi sekungasetshenzwa labomalayitsha bewase kithi. these guys have so far been the most efficient in terms of dealing with izicefe ze-import duty. the same could be done for all the other things. dealing with i-system kamgaxabe is as good as setting ourselves up for extra problems

Abantu besintwini ukuphumelela lokusizana kuse kudeni nanku sila bantwana babodadewethu labafowethu abathwele nzima ukuya esikolo and we can not help them sisithi unyoko wakumitha, unyoko kalangqondo, unyoko uyazi lapho okuloyihlo khona makakukhombe indlela. Pho nxa umuntu esitsho njalo kungane engelasabelo ekuzalweni kwayo what more the community at large. If you do not have compassion for your sister' cousin or brothers' child can you sympathize with the whole district. It is impossible. So aba-serious qalani ngengani ezisemagumeni aboyihlo, ogogo lezinye zihlobo zenu kungenani ukuthi zizelwe njani.