The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
ANGLICAN Church-run St David’s Bonda Girls High School in Mutasa district maintained their dominance in the Zimsec O-Level examinations after producing the highest number of learners who obtained five As or better in Manicaland.
The school had the highest number of candidates with 5As or better in 2018.
Manicaland provincial education director Mr Edward Shumba confirmed that a total of 148 candidates attained five As or better in the 2018 Zimsec examinations at St David’s Bonda Girls High with their highest candidate obtaining 12 As.
He said the qualitative analysis of the results point to an improvement in performance of schools in Manicaland.
“I am generally happy with the results that we got. Even though we are yet to have the quantitative analysis we are excited with the qualitative performance of our schools. Quality in terms of students that obtained 5 As or better.
“Once again St David’s Bonda dominated like they did the previous year. A total of 148 candidates attained five As or better in the 2018 Zimsec examinations at St David’s Bonda Girls High with their highest candidate obtaining 12 As,” he said.
Mr Shumba bemoaned the poor performance of students at Nyanyadzi High in Chimanimani district which had the highest number of candidates with U grades in the province.
He attributed the poor performance of the school to undue interference of members of the community to educational affairs at the school.
“I am really disappointed about the results we have seen at Nyanyadzi High School. I am convinced that this was a direct result of the issues related to Satanism that rocked the school and how members of the community ended up interfering with educational affairs at the school. This is a clear message to all parents elsewhere that let schools be what they are meant to be and that is nothing other than teaching and learning,” said Mr Shumba.
Manicaland province had 1 172 candidates that attained 5 As or better, a decrease from the previous year where 1 349 attained the same feat.
In 2016, 1 254 students had 5As or better in Manicaland.
Mr Shumba said the results were impressive given the challenges that came with the implementation of the new curriculum.
“I think it is not bad at all. If anything, it was really impressive given the challenges that came with the implementation of the new curriculum. I am also happy with the performance of our day schools like St Dominics, St Joseph’s Makoni and Gaza High in Chipinge.
“They are actually performing much better than other boarding schools and well resourced schools,” he said.
In second place was St Faith High School, which had 109 candidates with 5 As or better with their highest obtaining 17 As, who also happens to be the highest candidate in the province.
In third place was Kriste Mambo High School which had 79 candidates that obtained 5 As or better with their highest attaining 11 As while St Augustine’s High School weighed in fourth position with 78 students attaining 5As or better.
The highest candidate at St Augustine’s High School had 10 As.
In fifth position was Mutare day school St Dominic’s High which had 62 learners that obtained 5 As or better with their highest performing student getting 12 As while the Seventh Day Adventist church-run Nyazura High followed with 55 learners obtaining 5 As or better.
The highest candidate at Nyazura High has 15 As.
Knowstics Academy, a Trust school in Mutasa district, is in seventh position with 53 students that got 5 As or better and their highest candidate has 13 As.
Hartzell High School has 51 students that obtained five As or better with their highest candidate obtaining 11 As while Nyanga and Marange high schools were tied on ninth position with 47 candidates that obtained 5 As or better.
The highest performing candidates at both Nyanga and Marange high schools have 14 As apiece.
Day school St Joseph’s High of Makoni is in 16th position together with Mt Selinda High after 20 students got 5 As or better with their highest candidate attaining 11 As while another day school Gaza High settled for 18th position after 16 of its candidates attained 5 As or better and their highest students getting 11 As.
