THE Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) on Saturday awarded 10 students from schools around the country with prizes for excelling in a poetry competition in which they were required to write poems entitled My Teacher.

Speaking at the award-giving ceremony at the PTUZ offices in Harare, the union's secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said the competition was meant to identify talent for the future.

He said the competition was a means of equipping the younger generation with poetic ability that they would use to express themselves.

There were three categories in the competition.

Hlekelela Nkata of Thornhill High School won the first prize of $30 000 in the seniors' category.

Wilfred Mungure of Nyahondo High School was second and walked away with $20 000, while the third prize went to Collin Makoni of St John's High School in Harare. He received $10 000.

In the middle level category, Jane Nyamandwe of Monte Casino Girls' High scooped the first prize, while Albert Chavhundura of Highfield High School got the second prize.

Sibongile Malunga of Moleli High School and Tinashe Portia Madziwanzira of Monte Casino tied for third position.

Other winners included Daniel Gutu of Cecil John Rhodes Primary in Gweru, Chiedza Chinhanhu of Chikanga Primary School in Mutare and Andrew Rambakupetwa of Mariga Primary School in Murombedzi.

However, some of the students that won the competition failed to attend the award-giving ceremony because the PTUZ president Takavafirei Zhou alleged that some of them were

harassed by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

Zhou said CIO operatives stopped some of the winners of the poetry competition from attending.

However, Majongwe said the poems would be compiled into a book that would be made available to the public.

Renowned poet Chirikure Chirikure who was the guest of honour at the event, applauded the competition and said it was a stimulant for the young and upcoming artists.

Chirikure said: "This competition is also valuable in that it is not just meant to end at the stage of award presentation. I understand that all the winning entries will be compiled and published in book form. This is a noble idea, especially given the fact that in Zimbabwe we have a shortage of reading materials for children and young readers. Our young readers will easily identify with the publication since it will be a product of writers who are going through the same experiences with them."

Meanwhile, Majongwe said his union would soon establish two other poetry competitions for schoolchildren and the general public.

Schoolchildren would be required to write a poem entitled The Future and the general public will be required to write a poem titled Zimbabwe.