Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
EIGHT schools in the Midlands Province have been honoured with the prestigious Secretary’s Bell Merit Awards, recognising their exceptional contributions to education, innovation and community service between 2021 and 2024.
The accolades were presented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Moses Mhike, during a vibrant ceremony held at Makuwerere Primary School in Mberengwa District on Friday.
With this milestone, Midlands became the tenth and final province to host the awards presentation, underscoring the ministry’s commitment to celebrating excellence in education.
The schools recognised include Shabani Primary, Makuwerere Primary, St Anthony Mary Claret Chiutsi Primary, Mbizo High, Selukwe Chrome High and St Paul’s High.
Mr Mhike emphasised that the Secretary’s Bell Merit Award is more than a trophy — it serves as a quality assurance and management tool that celebrates schools demonstrating excellence in teaching and learning, effective implementation of the Heritage-Based Curriculum, and the establishment of viable commercial ventures that benefit both learners and surrounding communities.
“This is a milestone achievement for the ministry and for Midlands Province, where we are presenting the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Secretary’s Merit Awards to eight schools simultaneously,” he said.
Each year, the award is presented to ten primary and ten secondary schools that exhibit strong academic performance, innovation and sustainable projects. Mr Mhike noted that the winning schools stood out for their governance, creativity and ability to impart “fit-for-purpose” skills to learners.
In 2021, Shabani Primary and Nkululeko Zimfep High School were recognised for responding to the Government’s call to establish productive ventures that ensured food security in schools and communities.
For 2022, the criteria focused on foundational learning, child safeguarding, and parental involvement for primary schools, while secondary schools were assessed on their advancement of vocational education and provision of Higher Examinations Council (Hexco) courses. Makuwerere Primary and Mbizo High School excelled in these areas.
The 2023 awards highlighted Stem education, inclusive learning and measurable success in national examinations, with Selukwe Primary and St Paul’s Secondary earning top honours.
In 2024, emphasis was placed on academic performance, infrastructural development and business ventures, with St Anthony Mary Claret Chiutsi Primary and Selukwe Chrome High receiving the accolades.
“Most importantly, each productive unit doubles as a hands-on learning platform. It equips pupils with practical vocational skills that prepare them for the future and also instils in them entrepreneurial values.
“This seamless integration of education, production, and community service reflects the spirit of the 2021 selection criteria and cements Nkululeko High School’s status as a model of innovation, resilience and nation-building,” said Mr Mhike.
Mr Mhike highlighted Makuwerere Primary School as the 2022 winner, following a nine-year education cycle enriched by innovative literacy and numeracy initiatives, including teacher professional development modules that have laid a solid academic foundation for every pupil.
“A vibrant reading culture, daily structured reading time, and active reading clubs have reinforced literacy development across all grades. Makuwerere has also established a safe, well-maintained and inclusive learning environment, with disability-friendly facilities, gender-sensitive sanitation, a safe water supply, and a proactive guidance and counselling programme, which includes a 72-hour gender-based violence response room to nurture pupils’ welfare and values,” he said.
Mbizo Government High School, also a 2022 winner, maintains vibrant projects including a poultry unit with 2 000 birds and a growing fish farming venture, which generates income to support key school programmes such as the Prize Giving Day.
“Selukwe Primary School, the 2023 winner, achieved a 100 percent pass rate in Stem learning areas, enabling pupils to gain critical skills in coding, programming, digital citizenship and scientific inquiry,” said Mr Mhike.
He added that St Paul’s Secondary School demonstrates its commitment to vocational technical education by offering Hexco-accredited courses in car maintenance and computer operations and consistently achieving high pass rates.
The schools received prizes including solar kits, livestock, textbooks, uniform vouchers, a tablet, a wheelbarrow and the coveted Secretary’s Bell.
