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NewsDay

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70-year-olds enrol for ICT lessons

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TWO Chinhoyi septuagenarians have proved that age is just but a number after they enrolled for information communication technology (ICT) lessons despite their advanced ages, to keep themselves abreast with the world’s fast-changing technological environment.

TWO Chinhoyi septuagenarians have proved that age is just but a number after they enrolled for information communication technology (ICT) lessons despite their advanced ages, to keep themselves abreast with the world’s fast-changing technological environment.

BY NUNURAI JENA

These are former Chinhoyi deputy mayor Willie Nyambe (71) and Chikuti farmer Pondai Makina (74).

The two elderly men told NewsDay at the weekend that they were inspired by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulations Authority (Potraz)’s recent move to set up ICT hubs in various communities throughout the country.

Nyambe said he decided to enrol for ICT lessons in order to catch up with modern trends after working as deputy mayor between 1987 and 1995 when computers were then considered a luxury at the local authority and many other public institutions.

Nyambe had landed the post on a Zanu PF ticket before bouncing back as an opposition MDC-T councillor between 2008 and 2013.

“Age doesn’t hinder me from acquiring more knowledge. I have to move with times because during our days we had no access to computers,” Nyambe said.

What makes Nyambe’s case unique and interesting is that one of his mentors is his 31-year-old daughter, Norris.

“I feel honoured to have my daughter as a teacher. We strictly observe the teacher-pupil, not the father-daughter, relationship,” he said.

Norris described her father as keen to learn.

“It is difficult to give your father instructions. However, he makes my teaching life easy because he is eager to learn. I treat him like one of my students,” she said.

Nyambe’s classmate, Makina, said he intended to apply the newly-acquired knowledge to improve his farming skills.

Potraz director-general Gift Machengete said the organisation had opened 84 community information centres at several post offices countrywide. He added that the training programme had benefited more than 800 people in Mashonaland West province and over 8 100 people nationwide.