By Flata Kavinga
A delegation from Masvingo City Council Schools on Monday toured Kwekwe Primary School to assess the institution’s income-generating projects and multi-purpose sporting facilities as part of efforts to improve sports infrastructure in their own schools.
The team was led by Masvingo City Council Schools Sports Association vice chairperson Erikanos Tasarira, who is also the headmaster of Runyararo Primary School. The delegation represents seven Masvingo council schools — six primary schools and one secondary school.
Tasarira said the visit was part of a benchmarking exercise aimed at strengthening sports development from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to secondary level.
“We are on a tour to see schools that are performing better than us in terms of sporting disciplines and facilities,” he said. “We want to learn so that we go back home and improve our sporting facilities to make sure every child is catered for.”
He added that the schools’ focus on facility development also aligned with efforts to curb drug abuse and other social challenges affecting learners and surrounding communities.
The delegation is also expected to tour two more schools in Norton before returning to Masvingo.
Tasarira said the development of new sports infrastructure in Masvingo’s council schools would be funded through school initiatives, while council would provide technical support.
“The council usually gives us technical help. We have an engineer among the delegates who will assist with proper planning and layout of grounds,” he said. “But as for the funds, it is the School Development Committees that raise them.”
He described Kwekwe Primary School as a model institution, praising its income-generating projects and well-maintained sporting arenas.
“This is an example of a very good school. I ran out of words to describe the facilities and projects I have seen. This is what a school should be like,” he said.
Kwekwe Primary School headmaster Joseph Machingura said he was encouraged by the recognition the school was receiving from institutions outside the Midlands Province.
“Personally, I’m happy that we are receiving people from other provinces,” Machingura said. “The delegation moved around and appreciated how we developed our grounds to cater for multiple sporting codes. Their visit marks an important milestone not only for Kwekwe Primary but for the entire district.”
Machingura said the school had not hosted other delegations recently but noted that interest in the school grew after the commissioning of its multi-purpose sports arena, which went viral on social media.
The Masvingo delegation said they hoped to replicate the model they saw at Kwekwe Primary to strengthen sports participation and school development in their province.
