Kapiri Mposhi Member of Parliament (MP), Stanley Kakubo, says President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND administration have restored Zambia’s integrity that has seen the country regain trust of foreign support and cooperation in various sectors of development.
Mr Kakubo has stressed that because of the regained trust and prudent utilisation of resources, the donor community has come on board to complement the government’s efforts in improving the lives of the people.
Mr Kakubo said this when he commissioned a 1 x 3 classroom block, an Early Childhood Education (ECE) classroom fully furnished with desks and a water reticulation system at Muziule Primary School in his constituency constructed by Siksha, Manu and Nanu, three United States of America (USA) based charity foundations, to improve the learning environment at the school.
Learners have been having classes in a grass thatched structure and disused tobacco kilns in the area.
“We thank our partners for this project. Attracting partnerships of this quality speaks to the integrity of President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND government that we can be trusted by international partners,” Mr Kakubo said.
He pointed out that the project was answering President Hichilema’s vision for all schools being constructed in the country to have running water, ablution blocks and flushable toilets.
“This achievement at this school and the quality of the workmanship is a fulfilment of what the president has always desired in the schools that we should construct in Zambia. Here at the facility, we have running water clarity of the Presidential vision, we have flushable toilets for children and ablution blocks, the first in the middle of the village,” Mr Kakubo said.
And the charity foundations have implored the community to take advantage of the school to address the high illiteracy levels in the area.
Representing the foundations, Mukumbi Sichizya, explained that the foundations were moved to construct the school and accompanying infrastructure after noticing the deplorable conditions of the learning environment for the pupils in the area.
“We first visited Muziule last year on the invitation by the area MP and found that children were learning in a very deplorable shelter and were basically sitting on the flow. We went back and thought of how we could help the community here and that’s how we decided to build this school to improve the learning environment of children,” Mr Sichizya said.
And Kapiri Mposhi District Education Board Secretary (DEBS), Boas Banda, is hopeful that the new school infrastructure along with available water will enhance school attendance.
Mr Banda revealed that there is rampant absenteeism especially among the girl child in most schools in the district due to lack of shower facilities in schools for them to maintain menstrual hygiene.
“We have a challenge of absenteeism but with the infrastructure of this state, there will be no reason why learners would fail to come to school. More so, our girl child has been taken care of as shower facilities have been provided within the ablution block to enhance menstrual hygiene,” Mr Banda said.
