THE Gwembe town council has handed over six newly built classroom blocks, worth K1.8 million, to the education authorities in the district.
District education standards officer (DESO) Dr Pumulo Sililo, on behalf of the district education board secretary (DEBS), was there to receive the classroom blocks, constructed in various wards of Gwembe Constituency.
Gwembe Constituency has 12 wards.
Gwembe member of parliament Tyson Simuzingili, district commissioner Killion Chikandula, council chairperson Collet Ndlovu and council secretary Maliwa Muchuu, among others, were present at the handover event in Jongola area.
The six classroom blocks were constructed using 2020 and 2021 Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
“We are not handing over only Jongola Primary School but there are other five schools we are handing over today. We would have loved to be in Chitumbi, Nakasiika, Namaseke, Kotokota but our roads are impassable,” Simuzingili told a crowd of excited parents.
“We can’t get there and that is the reason we organised to handover all these schools here in Jongola.
The lawmaker said the handover of six school blocks signified how the UPND government’s devolution agenda can positively impact people’s lives, if well implemented.
“There is no doubt that the new dawn government is on the right path of transforming this country into a better place, by allowing people on the ground to choose the project that they want – be it clinic, school,” he said.
Simuzingili added that the handover of the classroom blocks came at the right time when most schools in Gwembe district are faced with a critical shortage of classroom space.
He noted that the construction of the classroom blocks now provides new, yet exciting, challenges of procuring desks.
“The Constituency Development Fund committee has allocated K3.6 million for procurement of desks in order to address the shortage. In Gwembe district we have a shortage of 17, 000 desks,” said Simuzingili.
“Come December 2023, we will not have any child that will sit on the floor in a classroom. The CDF committee as resolved that these desks will be procured locally.”
This year, each constituency is entitled to K28.3 million CDF, from the 2022 amount of K25.7 million.
Meanwhile, Ndlovu said President Hakainde Hichilema is keen on seeing every child accessing quality edification.
“Your UPND government has brought free education and this is because of his commitment to seeing an education population….” said Ndlovu.
Kalemba February 16, 2023
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