Tendai Rupapa in VICTORIA FALLS
LEARNERS must use information and communications technology (ICT) gadgets exclusively for educational purposes and desist from internet material that ruins their future, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.
She made the remarks on Friday at Baobab Primary School in Victoria Falls, where Serbian First Lady Mrs Tamara Vucic gifted learners ICT gadgets in the form of tablets on the sidelines of the first-ever United Nations Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy in Africa.
Mrs Vucic, Angolan First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço and representatives sent by First Ladies from Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Mozambique, Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Malawi, Egypt, Tunisia and Botswana are in the country at the invitation of Amai Mnangagwa to attend the first-ever gastronomy tourism forum for Africa.
The learners also received words of encouragement from Amai Mnangagwa, her counterparts and representatives of First Ladies, who interacted with them, giving them words of wisdom.
They said ICT gadgets can help the leaners achieve academic goals and enhance learning experiences.
The learners were overjoyed as they put on their dancing shoes and took to the dance floor in appreciation of the kind gesture.
Handing over the gadgets to the school, the Serbian First Lady said education goes hand in hand with innovation, hence the donation to the school.
“I want to thank you for the dancing skills you showcased and your positive energy. I am so pleased to be here today with you and first of all, I would like to greet Her Excellency, Amai, the First Lady of Zimbabwe; Her Excellency, the First Lady of Angola; and the ministers representing their First Ladies. I came from far away, bringing you greetings from students from the Republic of Serbia,” she said.
“They are all like you, and they also value education. Our idea was to help in a way with your education because education goes hand in hand with innovation, so we cannot live without that. That was the idea to give these tablets. While using them, I hope you will be able to learn something educative. You can also have fun a little bit by going through the history of different countries before you are old enough to go by yourself and physically explore them and come back to your own country, because that is where your heart is, no doubt. Thank you so much for accepting my gift.”
Dr Mnangagwa thanked other First Ladies for honouring her invitation and had an interaction with the schoolchildren, where she encouraged them to embrace the ICT gadgets as valuable tools for enhancing their educational journey.
She reminded the learners that internet is a powerful tool for learning and growth; therefore, they should use it responsibly and stay safe online.
“I want to thank you, Your Excellencies, for coming to Zimbabwe and all of you, for being with us and for being with me specifically at this gastronomy tourism conference that we came for. When you do your things and you have your sisters and your friends accompanying you, you feel at home and like a different person altogether. I want to thank you very much because you left your work, busy schedules to be with me and on top of that to be with these children. Vana vangu, the First Lady from Serbia has brought this for you, now I want to ask you some questions. I want you to be very honest with me. What are you going to use these tablets for?
“Anything that comes in your mind, please let me know. What are you going to use these tablets for? What are you going to look for on the internet?” she asked.
“Researching,” a learner responded, whereupon Dr Mnangagwa continued probing as to what type of research the children would undertake.
“Some ICT tools and homework,” one of the learners said.
“Tell me more, I am listening?” Dr Mnangagwa asked, to which the children said: “We will use them for information processing and data management.”
Another learner weighed in, saying: “We have school projects coming up, so we will use these gadgets for researching purposes so that we excel in our studies.”
The First Lady was not yet through. She asked: “There are so many things that we learn at school. Particularly, what do you want to research?”
“Maths,” one said, while another shouted: “To play games.”
“I was looking for something like this. Now, he has told us things that you were hiding from me. The games. What type of games, vanangu? Won’t this distract you from your studies; will you be able to help with household chores or you will just spend all your time on games? I want you to use these tablets wisely. As you explore the vast world of online information, please stay away from harmful content on the internet. Remember to prioritise your safety and well-being. Also, be cautious of inappropriate or explicit content, misleading or false information and cyberbullying,” she said to wild applause.
Dr Mnangagwa further urged the learners to take care of the gadgets and only use them at school. Angolan First Lady Mrs Lourenço also interacted with the children and had a question for the learners.
“I want to know one thing only. What do you do in school? Do you come only to sit and play?”
In response, the children said: “We come to study and learn hard.”
She encouraged the children to take their studies seriously and to always respect their elders.
Mrs Tamara Pololikashvili, the wife of United Nations Tourism secretary-general Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, also implored the children to value their education.
“I want to wish you children very well. You have very beautiful and bright faces. I wish you all the best of luck in your studies, and education is the most important thing you can do,” she said.
Ms Nelly Mukazayire, who represented the First Lady of Rwanda Mrs Jeannette Kagame, also took time to give words of encouragement to the learners.
“It is good to be together as a family. We are here and we are happy that we were part of the history that was made in Zimbabwe for hosting the first-ever African gastronomy tourism, thanks to Dr Mnangagwa’s hard work. We are happy to be part of this journey. We commend the work her Excellency, the First Lady of Zimbabwe, has done and this is also a manifestation of her works,” she said.
“We have heard a lot of work that she has done in gastronomy tourism as a patron of tourism, which has gathered us here today, but there is more that we have witnessed here. Amai, you are doing more and you are leading by example and we are proud to be here associating with this initiative.
“I want to say also that we are happy to be at Baobab Primary School; this is an amazing opportunity because her Excellency, First Lady Jeannette Kagame, also supports girls’ education under her foundation, Imbuto. Imbuto means the seed, so you are the seed and you are the future, so please let’s nurture that seed by learning, by studying, by growing into men and women of virtue and value. I think that is when you become like the biggest tree I have seen here, the baobab tree. I have seen the biggest tree in this country, which has huge branches and has existed for centuries and centuries. How about if we also expend that by doing what we have to do as students, because you do not only learn but you put to good use what you learn by changing your lives, by changing the lives of our nations and our continent. Use this opportunity to become the best of yourselves.”
Representing Namibian First Lady, Ms Heather Sibungo spoke about the value of education.
“I want to share with you a very important journey that you should follow as the Zimbabwean children. I came to visit Zimbabwe in 2022. The First Lady of Zimbabwe became my mother and my mentor. When we are having functions back home, I always tell people that you should take lessons from the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe and see the good work that she is doing,” she said.
“As you grow, also start following her. You go on your parents’ Google and follow the work the First Lady is doing. As you follow her, one of you will be the future president of this country, future minister or future legislator because she has great life teachings.”
Representing the Equatorial Guinea First Lady, Ms Katalina Martinez Asumu spoke along the same lines, imploring the children to work hard.
“This is a great opportunity that shows what tourism does. It brings people together. Put everything together, tourism, opportunities, education, culture, gastronomy, so congratulations to Zimbabwe for this and I feel at home. I am also happy to have been invited to this school. Our First Lady also has a commitment with the kids. Just be proud of who you are, just be yourself and put education first. Listen to your teachers and be good, well-disciplined children.”
Mrs Virginia Ncube, the headmistress of Baobab Primary School, expressed gratitude for the donation.
“I am thankful for the donation, which goes a long way in improving our learning materials. Our pass rate is also going to be 100 percent. Thank you, Amai, for coming with your guests and for spending time with the children,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa and her guests joined the children on the dance floor. – Sunday Mail