Story by Kenias Chivuzhe
THE second republic is targeting to complete stalled projects started under the First Republic, with institutions of higher learning among the beneficiaries of the government drive.
For over two decades, Kushinga-Phikelela Polytechnic and agricultural college infrastructure projects remained incomplete due to funding challenges, but the renewed focus under the Second Republic has injected fresh momentum into the completion of the projects.
At Kushinga-Phikelela Polytechnic, a girls’ hostel whose construction began in 2003 is almost complete and expected to accommodate 160 students, while a large dining hall at the sister institution, whose construction started in 2005, is also expected to be completed this year.
“The project was started way back in 2003, but because of the challenges of funding, it was not until the Second Republic that progress was made to get to the stage where we are today. We are left with perhaps less than US$100 000, mostly to furnish the rooms. We currently have a population of about 954 students, and of those, 54% of them are actually girls. Currently, most of these girls are residing outside the campus,” Kushinga-Phikelela Polytechnic College Principal, Mr Roy Mavunga said.
“The project that we are talking about is the dining and kitchen that was started in 2005, and the building was stalled in 2006 when it was at the roofing level. Since then, we have tried to push it so that we have it completed for the reason that our students are currently using the prefab building for their feeding. We would be happy to have it completed because we will be having state-of-the-art and modern buildings in our institutions, which will help us to have more students because of the facilities that we will be having around,” Kushinga-Phikelela Agricultural College Principal, Mrs Carolyn Chipomho said.
Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Itayi Ndudzo, said the government remains committed to improving educational infrastructure in line with the national development agenda.
“We have come to Kushinga Polytechnic College because we have a girls’ hostel which is intended to accommodate more than 100 students, so that there are better opportunities for the girl child as they acquire tertiary skills that we critically need for our development as a nation. This project is at 98% completion. This is a flagship project that speaks volumes about the milestones and progress we’ve made as the Second Republic. Also, we have been to Kushinga-Phikelela Agricultural College, where we have a project that is ongoing. It is on the roof level. The most important thing is that resources should be allocated for the completion and commissioning of the project before the end of 2026,” he said.
Special Advisor to the President on the Implementation of Government Programmes, Cde Joram Gumbo, pledged to engage Treasury to mobilise resources needed to ensure the completion of the projects that had stalled for more than two decades.
“The long-standing projects, which have stood for a long time, particularly the building, are supposed to be a girls’ hostel, which is critical to accommodate the girl child. This place is about 17 kilometres away from Marondera town. And for the girls to commute between this place and Marondera town puts their lives at risk. But other than that, little money is required to finish up this project. I think roughly, it is between US$70 000 and US$100 000. So, we must finish up some of these projects before we start any new ones. We are going to engage the Ministry of Finance to provide the money to finish these projects,” he said.
The completion of the two projects will be a significant milestone for the Second Republic in its efforts to modernise educational institutions and improve learning environments across the country.
