Back to School

 

Students in grade 7 as well as those in their fourth and sixth year of high school in Zimbabwe reported to school on Monday for the first time since March 27. However, not all teachers have reported back because the largest teachers union is demanding that salaries be increased to keep up with the 900% inflation that has occurred in Zimbabwe since March. You can read about the challenges facing Zimbabweans as their country tries to re-open after the extended COVID-19 lockdown here. 

The article mentions teachers who have been providing private lessons for their students out of their homes. LTLA also will help some primary and secondary school students in our care with these private lessons so that they can develop at their grade level and prepare for important exams. We ask you to pray specifically for LTLA Director Arthur Nhau's son, Donnell, as well as Godswill Banda, Ngoni Gotora and Tito Zuze who are in grade 7. They will be taking important exams in all their subjects that will determine the type of high school and subjects they will study going forward. These exams are very stressful in a normal year so you can imagine how stressful these exams will be this year when they have had very little instruction. 

 

Left to right: Donnell, Godswill, Ngoni, and Tito.

 

Universities and polytechnics will re-open their campuses in October. Polytechnics were able to complete their first term before the COVID-19 lockdown in late March, so they are planning to complete the remaining two terms for 2020 by the end of February 2021. LTLA is supporting three students at polytechnic institutions: Simba Mangore & Ruvimbo Makumbirofa at Harare Polytechnic as well as Richard Nguluve at Kwekwe Polytechnic. 

Universities have expected students to continue their learning remotely from home and are bringing them back to complete exams for the interrupted semester by the end of October. Lazarus Dumukwa & Vimbai Kandirigu, two LTLA supported students, are experiencing this at Midlands State University. After completing those semester exams, they will remain there until mid-December to begin the second semester of 2020. They will then return home for remote learning until mid-March at which time they will take final examinations back on campus. 

Two other LTLA supported students, Ngoni Gamunorwa & Natalie Nhau (Arthur's niece), were set to start their college career in August at local Chinhoyi University of Technology. They will receive orientation and lectures on campus from October 5-24, then engage in remote learning until they take exams back on campus, most likely after the Christmas break--a challenging way to begin your college education. 2020 is certainly teaching these students to be flexible, among other character qualities. Would you pray for Simba, Ruvimbo, Richard, Lazarus, Vimbai, Ngoni and Natalie as they persevere in preparing for how God is calling them to serve in this world? They have all been discipled in Christ through LTLA. Pray they would allow God to minister through them to their peers on campus. 

 

(L to R) Ngoni, Ruvimbo, Lazarus, Vimbai, Richard, Natalie & Simba.

 

 

Investing in the next generation of laborers for God's Kingdom, 

 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa