THE cash-strapped Mutare City Council is mooting the introduction of a school development levy on residents to raise funds to build new schools.
OBEY MANAYITI STAFF REPORTER
This came out during the 2015 budget consultations where housing director Stenard Mapurisa pleaded with residents to accept the new levy to address some of the educational challenges in the city.
The proposed levy is $1 per household. But residents said while the idea was noble, funds raised should not be kept by council. “We used to get funding from the World Bank and USAid
to build facilities such as schools and clinics in the past,” said Mapurisa.
“In Hobhouse we have about 6 000 housing units and the government requires that per every 500 housing units we need to put a school.”
The housing director said at least 10 new primary schools should be built in the city.
“We have been engaging other stakeholders like churches who promised to build the schools, but they are slow and we cannot push them,” he said.
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“We also noted that the existing schools have introduced hot sittings and we are worried at the quality of education that the pupils will get.”
Residents said any funds raised should be handled in a transparent manner.
“This is a good idea and we cannot resist anything that is aimed at helping our children,” said Oliver Chikumba, a resident.
“However, we don’t want council managers to be the custodian of that money. We cannot trust them and I propose that we form a committee responsible for that.”
Others also welcomed the idea, but said clear mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that money raised would not be used for purposes other than building schools and renovating existing ones.
