School Head Buries 2 Tonnes of Maize Meant to Feed Learners
A school head at Gomba Primary School in Gutu has left the community devastated after she buried two tonnes of maize meant to feed learners at the school after keeping the maize for four years.
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The head, Varaidzo Tazvivinga is said to have kept the maize until it went bad since 2020 while school-going kids who were supposed to benefit from it were going hungry.
Gomba Primary School Development Committee (SDC) Chairperson Samson Chidya confirmed the incident and said upon being asked why she had buried the maize, Tazvivinga said it was attracting rats to the fowl run where it was being kept.
“The maize was brought to the school in 2020 for the school feeding programme but classes were later disturbed by Covid-19 lockdowns and children stopped coming to school. We had used only about a tonne and the remainder was kept at the school,” said Chidya.
He said the head later told them that the remainder was supposed to be taken back to the Department of Social Welfare since it had not been used, with the school being asked to raise funds for its transportation back, which the parents resisted.
“We then suggested that since the school had poultry projects, we could use the maize for those projects as we had two batches of chickens. We went on to use some of the maize there but I later heard that the school head had told the SDC vice chair about wanting to dig a compost pit at the school. Little did we know that it was meant for burying the much needed food,” said Chidya.
School Head Buries 2 Tonnes of Maize Meant to Feed Learners
He went on to say the head hired someone who dug the compost pit and buried one tonne intending to bury another tonne the following day but the contracted guy told other villagers who then informed other parents.
Contacted for comment, the school head Varaidzo Tazvivinga said she could not comment, saying she was not allowed to speak over the phone before dropping the call.
“We are not allowed to speak over the phone,” said Tazvivinga.
Gutu District Schools Inspector (DSI) Ronald Muganhu said he was yet to establish what had transpired at the school as he had only came across the story on social media.
Muganhu said: “I have only seen the story on social media and I am yet to establish how authentic it is thereafter we can do our own investigations.
“The matter came to light after the man who was contracted told other parents at a beer binge that he had buried maize at the school and will bury some more the following day. The concerned parents then notified Chief Mazuru.”
“It was alleged that she had been using the maize to feed her own poultry project, hence burying the maize,” a local villager said.
Chief Mazuru said: “The maize could have been distributed to children from vulnerable families and this could have served the purpose, the worst part is that her answers were not satisfying when we asked her. Our plea is for the ministry to give us another head as we cannot be working with someone like this.”
