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Bulawayo’s peri urban schools neglected

BY MUSA MAKINA

ers.”performingschool,improvingitseducationalactivities,resultingin

2019 pass rate by 11, 8%. the pass rate falling. Ward 4 councilor Silas Chigo

However, Aisleby was the worst For the year 2021, council said 4 ra added: “You find that learners performing school with a zero per807 learners sat for the 2021 Grade there are from farms and generalcent pass rate. 7 final examinations (and 2 688 ly due to the rural set up, teachers

The local authority says St Pelearners passed the six subjects shun the school and you end up ters had a 13, 5 % pass rate, secwith five or better. having temporary teachers taking ond from the bottom and ManonThe pass rate was ranked at 55, up the task.” dwane had a 31, 1%pass rate and 92%. With statistics showing how was placed third from bottom. “Aisleby maintained the bottom competent most of council- run

In 2019, council-run primary place and had zero percent pass schools, a villager in St Peters Marschools excelled in the country's rate similar to 2020 and at second tha Dungeni, had no kind words national Grade 7 public examinaposition from the bottom was St. for the city fathers. tions, with the province taking the Peters that lost 11% from 13.56% “Honestly, this does not make top spot, despite a general decline to 2.56%. sense, yes we are in the peri urban, in the pass rate. “Ingubo, at position three from and not rural areas,” Dungeni said.

According to the local authorithe bottom continued to disap“If a school which is less than 30 ty's annual report, council schools point, losing 3, 26% from 38.74% kilometres from the city can be nemanaged to perform satisfactorily, to 35.48%,” a council report notes. glected like this, what then do you as all the 29 schools scored above Sikhululekile Moyo, a councilor expect from schools in Nkayi or the 50 percent pass rate. for ward 17 where St Peter's primaTsholotsho?”

However, the national pass rate ry is located, said the schools suffor 2020 Grade Seven examinafer accessibility challenges. tions went down from 46, 9 % to “The situation at St Peter's 37, 1%, with this attributed to the school is very bad, mainly because outbreak of the COVID-19 panof accessibility due to bad roads, demic. something which I feel has con

Schools eventually opened in tributed negatively to the poor rephases during the third quarter sults,” Moyo said. of the year which heavily affected “That alone demoralises teach

Methembe Ndiweni of St Peters says he was forced to transfer his child from St Peters Primary school despite it being the nearest to his home.

“My first born performed badly in the 2018 Grade 7 examinations at St Peters, and I decided to transfer the second born to Malindela Primary School in Pumula North where he is doing very well,” Ndiweni said.

St Peters is a peri-urban suburb and is separated from Pumula by a bush.

St Peters and Aisleby primary schools located in the Reigate district are notorious for poor results.

According to a Bulawayo City Council annual report for the year ended December 31, 2016, Aisleby and St. Peter’s were the worst performing schools recording zero pass rates.

In 2017, Aisleby and St Peters maintained their bottom positions.

In 2020, Malindela was the best

*This article was originally published by The Citizen Bulletin, a non-profit news organisation that produces hard hitting hyperlocal reporting and analysis for south western region of Matabeleland.

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2022-05-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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