The ManicaPost
OVER the years, several schools across Manicaland have repeatedly scored top grades in the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC)’s Grade Seven, Ordinary Level and Advanced Level national final examinations.
This has subsequently seen the province becoming a bastion of academic excellence as it holds its own against some of the best schools in the country.
Manicaland has deservedly earned its spot among the primary and secondary education aristocracy that churns out excelling candidates.
Recently, we carried a story with a synopsis of how respective schools in the province and their candidates had performed in the November 2023 A-Level national final examinations.
These are all the fruits of the sterling work being done by Government through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, learning institutions, teachers, parents and guardians, as well as the candidates.
Good going and kudos for that.
Against this background, it therefore becomes imperative to maintain these high standards of educational excellence throughout the province.
For the learning institutions that did well at both O and A-Level, their high pass rates must challenge them to aim even higher because there is always room for improvement.
The sky is the limit.
Their success must spur them to do better so that they can become the best.
They cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
In fact, their academic accomplishments must challenge them to continue working hard and guard against complacency.
Other schools that performed below par need to self-introspect and be encouraged to pull up their socks.
Already, there are points of reference among their peers in the province whom they can look up to for emulation.
Sharing ideas and exchanging experiences through study visits could be a good starting point.
They can learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses with the aim of an overall improvement of the grades they score in the final examinations.
This is crucial in ensuring that schools in Manicaland remain on top of their game in attaining impressive results.
Government, as the employer of the teachers, must also be commended for trying its best to cater for the welfare of the teachers through good remuneration and keeping them motivated.
The provision of decent accommodation with good social amenities, water and power at their work stations can also help to keep them highly incentivised.
Already, in some areas Government is providing heavily subsidised transport through the Public Service Commission (PSC) buses to ferry teachers to and from school so as to ease the burden of transport on them.
However, more still needs to be done to bring the teacher-learner ratio to the desired standards to create a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning.
School heads and teachers must also upgrade their qualifications.
Government this week announced that it is set to review school heads and teachers’ qualifications as it is keen to ensure the delivery of quality education in the country.
The move should be lauded because it keeps the teachers relevant to the demands of the ever evolving world.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Honourable Torerayi Moyo, has said it is essential to ensure that those who deliver education are qualified enough and must advance academically.
Government also remains committed to ensuring that learners in all areas get access to quality and affordable education through the national school assistance programme – Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).
The learning institutions are also being modernised, with computer laboratories being equipped with the necessary gadgets and consumables.
Laudably, this will ensure that no learner and no school is left behind.
For parents and guardians, investing in their children’s education is requisite.
This is done through paying school fees well in time and contributing towards development projects at schools.
Strictly monitoring their children will also help in keeping learners away from the menace of substance and drug abuse, both at school and at home.
Education is one of the key pillars of National Development Strategy 1 that is underpinning the country’s drive towards the attainment of an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income society through Vision 2030.
