Govt mulls pooling schools’ building funds

Bulawayo Bureau
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora has proposed that Government gets a share of the building fund from schools, saying the money would be used to create a pool for infrastructure development. Minister Dokora made the proposal while addressing the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (zimta) conference which ended on Saturday in Victoria Falls.

He said each school would pay about 5 percent to the centralised fund.

He said his ministry was weighing a number of possible funding mechanisms towards infrastructure development in schools, with a centralised building fund being one of them.

The minister said he had already worked on a blueprint for levies which has been sent to schools, proposing that the Government gets a share of the building fund.

“In terms of infrastructure we have three possible funding sources, namely bilateral loans, infrastructure bonds and joint ventures,” said Dr Dokora.

He said he was finalising financial terms with the Infrastructure Development Bank (IDB) to take bonds.

“We have been having the building fund since 1980 and we have developed a blueprint for levies which we have sent to schools requesting ideas. If I can get 3 or 5 percent from the building fund then I can get a pool fund for schools,” Dr Dokora said.

Parents pay building funds to respective schools and the money is used for construction of infrastructure at the institutions.

Dr Dokora said part of the money will also be used to build teachers’ accommodation.