Zimbabwe First Lady Amai Mugabe Junior School Enrols 97

Republic of Zimbabwe Vice President Joice Mujuru with First Lady Grace Amai Mugabe. The Southern African nation has been in the throws of fighting imperialism., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Amai Mugabe Junior School enrols 97

Wednesday, 09 January 2013 00:00
Herald Reporter

The Amai Mugabe Junior School in Mazowe opened yesterday with 97 pupils. Amai Mugabe witnessed the opening yesterday.

According to ZBC News, the pioneer group comprises 41 girls and 56 boys.

Thirty of the pupils are day scholars drawn from the Mazowe community while 67 are boarders.

The school has two departments; the infants section for grades 0 to 2 and the junior school department for grades 3 to 7.

The school has 11 teachers.

The school also teaches computers while Chinese is expected to be introduced soon.

Speaking during a brief ceremony to mark the opening of the school, Amai Mugabe said she valued education as the cornerstone of national development.

“The school places strong emphasis on independent, creative and critical thinking, equipping the children with skills that can be adapted to the modern working and learning environment,” she said.

Sports such as hockey, cricket and rugby will also be taught at the school.

The double storey school complex, built on 7 720 square metres of land has 27 classrooms, a library, an art room, a music room, offices and auxiliary equipment rooms.

Construction of the school began on November 8, 2011 and was completed 11 months later on 31 October 2012.

The school is the second phase of projects that have been implemented in Mazowe under the Grace Mugabe Foundation following the establishment of the Grace Mugabe Children’s Home, which is catering for 47 children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Mazowe community thanked Amai Mugabe for building a “state-of-the-art school”.

Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident Minister Martin Dinha promised additional land for the construction of more projects.

He added that the project, together with the children’s home, had given the area a facelift.

Education, Sport and Culture Deputy Minister Lazarus Dokora described Amai Mugabe “as an architect in her own right”.

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Lin Lin graced the day.

Plans are already at an advanced stage to establish a secondary school and a tertiary institution in the area under the Grace Mugabe Foundation projects.