Nkayi learners walk 22km to and from school

Thandolwenkosi Dube

NKAYI – Villagers in ward 22 of Nkayi District are appealing for assistance to build a secondary school in the Zenka area as the nearest secondary school is 11km away.

The community has a  primary school in the form of Mtshatshane Primary but it has been heavily relying on two neighboring village secondary schools, namely Mpumelelo High and Hompane Secondary located 10 kilometers and 11 kilometers respectively. 

The status quo has presented difficulties in transitioning local learners from primary to secondary school which has subsequently resulted in dropouts. Moreover, early marriages and child marriages stemming from the dropouts have been on the rise in the area thereby prompting the  villagers’ plea for assistance to build a secondary school.

Speaking to Community Podium, Mr Pilane Mpofu, a villager in Zenka, said that there is an urgent need to build a secondary school, especially taking into account that the village is located in the timber rich part of Nkayi called the Gwampa Forest which is being exploited by the District yet there is no ploughing back to the local community.

 “The situation is dire and right now our children are losing out on an important fundamental right to education because of lack of development in our area and the long distances they walk. Children are already tired due to the long energy sapping walk, by the time they get to school. One can only imagine how they are expected to concentrate, let alone understand anything in class after such long walks. We really need to find a solution to this.” added Mpofu. 

Nkayi has been ranked among the worst in terms of O’ level and A’ level results in the past decade, with a number of schools getting below 10% pass rate. The high failure rate has been attributed to a number of reasons including poor network connection, lack of transport, a poor road network, technological illiteracy and marginalization.
The safety of the children in ward 22 has also been brought into question. A teacher from Hompane Secondary School who preferred anonymity, reasoned that children from Cross Zenka who usually have to walk for a minimum of three hours to get to Hompane are at high risk as they have to leave home as early as 4am and get home as late as 7pm. 

“Considering the animal infestation in our area, particularly elephants, and the dense forest land surrounding our school, I think it is not safe for these children, especially girls. We have to come up with tactics for safety  such as making sure children walk in groups but you wouldn’t know what these adolescents decide to do while walking home. It’s a safety risk for us and the community. There is a real need for a school in the Zenka area to avoid such risks” said the teacher.

One student at Mpumelelo High school, Nozwelo Sibanda, who resides in the Zenka told this publication that she gets to school in a very tired state and usually after the first lesson is done.
 

“I just go to school because my parents want me to but if I had a choice, I would rather stay at home than walk 22km a day. I used to love school from ECD up to grade seven but when I started Form One, school became something else. Before going to school l have to do some household chores, fetch water, fetch firewood and cook because I live with my grandmother, then I must leave home at 4am or 5am,” complained Nozwelo.

Villagers in ward 22, Nkayi believe that their children have the potential to excel in their studies if a secondary school is built centrally in their area and are therefore appealing for assistance from Government, the corporate world and well wishers to help build a secondary school in their area