Academies of Excellence get funding

The Chronicle

30 January 2012

The Government has secured 2,4 million Euros (equivalent to $3 million) from the German government towards the establishment of the long-awaited Academies of Excellence.

The funding is however a far cry from the required $40 million. The Academies of Excellence programme idea was initiated in 2010 to ensure rapid and sustainable recovery and development of the education system, with 20 schools being identified for the project.

Its launch was scheduled for January 2011 but was deferred indefinitely as Government cited inadequate preparedness and lack of funding.

In an interview last week, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, David Coltart, said although the money was not enough to finance the full implementation of the project, the ministry would start the programme this year.

“We have received funding to the tune of 2,4 million Euros from the German government which translates to about $3 million.

“These funds are not enough to run the 20 schools that we had initially planned for. In the meantime we will work with two schools countrywide as a pilot project to see how the programme works,” said Minister Coltart.

“We will start the programme this year by at the moment it is still premature to say which of the two schools countrywide as a pilot project to see how the programme works,” said Minister Coltart.

“We will start the programme this year by at the moment it is still premature to say which of the two schools will be selected for the programme. We will advise on this in due course.”

Minister Coltart said $40 million was required to fully implement the project.

“To run this project effectively, each of the 20 schools needs $2 million and that translates to $40 million for the 20 schools under the project,” he said.

Under the proposed programme each province would have two schools designated Academies of Excellence. The first phase was expected to run from January 2011 until 2017.

The $2 million for each school includes scholarships for approximately 600 students, teacher incentives, upgrading and expansion of physical infrastructure, information technology programmes and other administrative costs.

Eveline Girls High and Milton Boys High schools were chosen as Academies of Excellence in Bulawayo. In Matabeleland South, the academy for boys will be at Plumtree High which Jason Ziaphapha Moyo High will house another group, which will start with boys and girls, although “it will be converted into a girls’ academy”.

In Matabeleland North, Binga Secondary and Fatima High will be co-educational facilities with boys and girls.

The same concept of co-education will apply in the Midlands, Masvingo, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East provinces.

Harare will have a boys’ facility at Churchill and a girls’ at Girls High, with Manicaland having the boys’ at Mutare Boys’ High and the Girls at Mutare Girls’ High schools.

The programme seeks to curtail loss of education opportunities, especially among disadvantaged students, through concrete, realistic and demonstrable returns on sufficiently focused investment in the education sector.

An estimated 40 percent of the intake at the academies will be reserved for talented but disadvantaged children.