The ManicaPost
WITH schools set to re-open next week for the second term, another chapter in the 2023 learning year will be opened.
Government has led the way in ensuring that effective measures have been put in place to allow a smooth process for learners to return to school.
This has seen surveillances being conducted against a backdrop of health issues, as cholera and Covid-19 cases have been reported in some parts of the country.
As preparations for schools re-opening hit top gear, the safety of pupils is being highly prioritised.
While smooth learning is expected to continue without any disruptions prompted by Covid-19 restrictions, there is still need to remain vigilant and keep the resurgence of active cases at bay.
Dropping the guard on preventive precautions would be suicidal.
Just as with Covid-19, the onus is on school authorities to ensure that there are no outbreaks of cholera at their institutions.
It is, therefore, important to have clean, safe water — in adequate quality and sufficient quantity — always available at school premises.
Given that the June public examinations are written during the second term, schools have to make the most of the intervening period between re-opening and the exam period to put the necessary requirements in place.
The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) June 2023 examinations are scheduled to start in mid-May. The mop-up registration exercise for the examinations is scheduled to take place from May 8th to 12th.
While Government is tightening security around examination papers, schools are also required to ensure that their systems as centres for sitting candidates are fool proof to guard against leakages of question papers.
This, on one hand, guarantees the integrity of our examination processes and also protects the reputation of schools.
The second term also comes with mid-year examinations, meant to run the rule over pupils to test how much they would have grasped since the beginning of the learning calendar year.
This gets to prepare them for the end-of-year or final exams.
As such, teachers and learners have their work cut out.
Given its transitional nature, the second term provides a platform for schools to work on attaining high grades at the end of the year.
While classroom practitioners play their part of imparting knowledge to learners, parents and guardians also have an obligation assist and monitor the pupils’ progress at home.
We have to build on the foundation laid during the first term to ensure a fruitful second term and adequately gear for third term.
With drug and substance abuse as well as child marriages becoming twin evils bedevilling local communities, concerted efforts must be made to combat the scourges both at school and at home.
We cannot afford to lose this generation of our future leaders to these social menaces.
We simply have to keep children in school and let them grow.
Bullying has also become rampant at schools.
Authorities have to be always on the look-out for this misdemeanour.
They should act decisively whenever cases are reported so as to nip it in the bud and promote enjoyable learning.
As the new school term may require additional provisions, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has unequivocally stated that schools have no monopoly over their sale.
Manicaland’s Provincial Education Director, Mr Edward Shumba is on record saying learning institutions should not arm-twist parents and guardians to buy uniforms and stationery from them or their preferred suppliers.
Unscrupulous retailers should also not fleece parents by unjustifiably inflating prices to cash in on the back-to-school craze.
Good education requires key investments.
This, therefore, calls for parents and guardians to invest in the education of their children and playing ball when their input is needed at school.
Playing school fees in full and in time significantly contributes towards achieving that end.
Ensuring that boarding learners have enough tuck at school is important in keeping them focused and motivated.
Government has remained committed to building new schools and refurbishing existing ones to modern standards to ensure that our education system is well-oiled.
To ensure its smooth functioning, Government has also embarked on a programme to establish computer labs at all schools and connect them to the Internet as well as power them through either solar or electricity.
This will ensure that no learner and no school is left behind.
This neatly dovetails with the digital economy component of National Development Strategy (NDS1) as the country continues to make strides towards attaining an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income society through Vision 2030.
All stakeholders need to make the most of the second term and ensure that it is a resounding success on the learning calendar.
