adminSamuel Kadungure : Senior Reporter
BIRIIRI High School has bounced from a chaotic period which saw it at some point having two heads – one who operated from a ramshackle office and the other from under a tree – into a vibrant institution whose tranquil environments has positive impact on students’ education, social, emotional and ethical development.
This is due to a new vision, mission, goals, values, leadership style, teaching and disciplinary methods encompassing the church, students, administrators and parents in planning and decision-making process.
Biriiri High located in Chimanimani has its sparkle restored after the 2012 leadership vacuum in which an ex-head was locked and banished from the school after a fallout with the responsible authority – the United Baptism Church of Zimbabwe (UBCZ).
The matter spilled into courts until the ministry transferred the late Miss Fungai Hlahla to Mt Camel Secondary School in Headlands.
Like a suppressed spring, the school rebounded to become a major academic force revered for teaching students about Christianity and its positive influence on the Zimbabwean culture which has seen students conducting themselves in a manner that reflects positively on themselves, parents and the school.
The learning environment is very stable with focus on giving parents value of their investment.
Biriiri head, Mr Edmore Siwela, said they balance the needs of the school and those of the individual student and whenever there are challenges, they employ supportive disciplinary practices instead of punitive approaches that have proven largely ineffective and counter-productive.
“We have a caring school climate bolstered by clear rules and regulations. Students are aware of the high expectations from teachers and parents and such distinct environment was occasioned by the quality of rapport among students and staffers,” said Mr Siwela.
History is our starting point
Biriiri High School was opened in 1956 by missionaries of South Africa General Mission (SAGM) mainly to train primary school teachers. It became a fully-fledged secondary school with a curriculum that went up to O-Level in 1967.
Like many other institution, Biriiri was forced to close down in July 1977 as the liberation war intensified. With an enrolment of 80 students and three teachers, Biriiri re-opened in 1980.
Since then, the school has developed in leaps and bounds and begun offering A-Level classes in 1992.
Today it has an enrolment of 947 students (467 girls and 480 boys).
It has 753 boarders, 371 girls and 382 boys, and 194 day scholars, six girls and 98 boys.
It has a teaching staff complement of 39 teachers, 22 males and 17 females.
The school is undergoing radical transformation, having embarked on online research and infrastructure development to improve teaching methodologies.
“The thrust is to make Biriiri High a modern school and focus is on infrastructure and ICT development. We need a new look from hostels, teachers accommodation, classrooms and laboratories to the perimeter fence to create a totally uplifting environment,” said Mr Siwela.
These targets are enshrined in a five-year development plan that has set high and challenging levels of expectations among pupils, staff, parents and administrators.
School heads
1980 — Mr Daniel Mhlanga
1980-1990 — Mr Marcas Chibisa
1991-2005 —Mr James Magure
2006-2014 — late Miss Fungai Hlahla (Mrs Mapara)
June 2014 to present — Mr Edmore Siwela
Mission statement
To produce students who are intellectually, physically, socially and morally balanced and above all spiritually transformed in accordance with the Christian faith (Luke 2 : 52).
“This transformation takes place through being God fearing. The Bible makes it clear that the fear of the God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Biriiri High Scho0l strives to produce students who know the truth and wisely apply it to the real life situations.
“The school equips its students with this truth as they leave school knowing that there is someone to pilot their lives. Students, thus equipped, always became agents of change to their communities,” explained Mr Siwela.
Values
Advanced student care
Highly trained and motivated staff
Commitment to fairness in dealing with one another
Honesty
Truthfulness
Sincerity
Academic Performance
Biriiri provides a comprehensive vocationalised curriculum and trains students in vocations such as livestock, ornamental horticulture, building, food and nutrition, fashion and fabrics, computer science and technical graphics.
The focus is to ensure that students acquire expertness that is related to productivity and prepare for jobs at a tender age.
The O-Level examination pass rate stood at 35 percent in 2011, 44 percent in 2012, dipped to 37,5 in 2013, shot to 59.2 percent in 2014 and rose again to 63.6 in 2015.
At Advanced Level, the pass rate stood at 91.4 percent in 2011, fluctuated to 89.5 in 2012, rose to 93 percent in 2013, dipped to 87 and 84 percent in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Sport and Arts
Biriiri doesn’t value arts, culture and sport education on the basis that it has social or economic benefits, but because it expands the mind and soul of its students. Through arts education, Biriiri exposes its students to great literature novels, poetry and short stories, plays, drama, dance, visual arts, music, film.
It competes, with remarkable success, in sporting disciplines like athletics, soccer, tennis, rugby, basket, net, volley and handball, darts, table tennis and chess. The school has won arts and sport accolades at district and provincial levels and continues to expose its students to the best there is in as many art and sport disciplines as possible given their key role in moral and individual development and deeper commitment to humanist principles.
Achieved school developments projects
Work is in progress for the construction of a biogas digester plant for the production of methane gas for cooking in the kitchen. The project is partnered by the School and Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
Construction of four staff houses
Improved students diet
Rehabilitation of dormitories and ablution facilities
Establishment of wood boiler
Construction of 2×2 classroom blocks
New furniture
Purchase of new electric machines and 55 computers
Two ICT laboratories
Acquisition of 54ha plot
Livestock project
Two boreholes
School bus
Student planner booklet
Challenges
Non-payment of school fees
Need to refurbish boys’ hostels
Need for specialised rooms (lecture theatre)
Retooling of Tec Voc subjects
Biriiri High School by 2020
The school thrives to be an ICT hub in the district and envisages the possibility of becoming a college of ICT or an associate college of a university.
Electronic enrolment and recruitment
All teachers to be computer literate and be able to use new technology in the delivery of lessons
By 2020 Biriiri High school should be the limelight in the district, a contender in the province and a service participant in the national academic accolades.
To be among national champions in all spheres and a paragon of excellence in all subjects.
To improve on tech-voc subjects and invest in tools for fashion and fabrics, woodwork and agriculture in line with economic blueprint Zim-Asset and claim relevance to current industry needs.
The ethos of Christianity to continue to be spearheaded to build a wholesome student who is both academically and spiritually competed through sounding biblical teachings.
Take lead in coaching or training in all ball games and athletics.
Twinning with the Harlem will be initiated to provide trainers for the sports academy
Online Reporter