MUTALE – Learners in the remote areas around Mutale will no longer need to walk long distances to get to school, as the Mutale municipality allocated twelve bicycles to the needy secondary schools last Thursday.

The allocation of bicycles was followed by the allocation of 300 school bags to the 69 primary schools. The bicycles were presented to Ratshibvumo Secondary and Fhatani Secondary School.

According to the Mutale Municipal Manager, Mr Ntshavheni Marole, the bicycles and school bags came from the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA).

He said the bags and bicycles will alleviate the problems that learners are experiencing, such as travelling long distances to school and using plastic bags to carry schoolbooks. "We are busy arranging bursaries for the poor students who cannot further their studies, due to financial disadvantages," he said.

Mr Thivhonali Neswiswa from Tshifhetani Secondary School told Mirror that some of the learners are not concentrating well in class, due to the long distance they travel to school by foot, and the bicycles will assist them in this regard.

He thanked the Mutale Municipality for providing Tshifhetani Secondary with six bicycles and he said his school will in future ask for 100 bicycles.