Close to 4,5 thousand and 1,2 thousand disadvantaged primary and secondary schools in all 72 districts of the country, are set to benefit from the 4.7 million textbooks which have been procured by UNICEF.
Speaking during the presentation of the books, UNICEF Education Manager, Dr Chiharu Kondo, commended the Ministry for its efforts in rolling out the competency based curriculum.
“UNICEF is committed to supporting this major process that the government of Zimbabwe has embarked upon. As we continue to work as partners, I am confident that we will take the education sector to the next level in the very near future,” he said.
Delivering his speech, Honourable Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Prof. Paul Mavima said, “We are happy with the Phase 2 procurement and distribution which comes at an opportune time as learners will access these books as they begin in 2019.”
The total investment for learning materials between the Government of Zimbabwe and development partners in 2018 alone stands at US$12.1 million.
“This shows the dedication that we are working hard towards providing every learner, especially in the disadvantaged schools, with access to quality educational materials and infrastructure. We must equalize opportunities for learners and build a prosperous Zimbabwe,” Prof. Mavima added.
This is Phase 2 of UNICEF’s textbook procurement, an investment of almost US$6.6 million. The books are for learners in Early Childhood Development (ECD B), grades 1-4 and forms 1-4.
Under Phase 1 of the procurement, UNICEF distributed just over 2.3 million textbooks which now benefit over 1.5 million learners in 5,594 disadvantaged primary and secondary schools.
