Chinhoyi Tech High records 85pc O’Level pass rate in 2025

Conrad Mupesa
Features Writer
CHINHOYI Technical High School achieved an 85 percent pass rate at Ordinary Level last year, the highest in its history, as the school continues to build on a four-year streak of 100 percent passes at Advanced Level.
The improved O’Level results were characterised by a noticeable rise in the number of pupils earning straight As, while the number of learners reaching the prestigious 15-point threshold at Advanced Level also increased to record levels.
School head, Mr Blazio Chigwa, stated that the results reflected a conscious culture of excellence supported by teachers, parents, pupils, and alumni.
“Last year saw a marked and tremendous rise in the number of candidates recording straight As across the Ordinary Level board,” Mr Chigwa said.
He noted that the school’s Advanced Level results had maintained their upward trend, with last year’s outcomes marking the fourth consecutive year of a 100 percent pass rate.
“This is not luck, but a settled culture,” he stated.
Mr Chigwa indicated that the increasing number of learners achieving 15 points and above further demonstrated the school’s efforts to raise both its academic standards and the minimum level of achievement among its pupils.
He highlighted that the most significant growth was observed in science and technology subjects, with increased enrolment at both Ordinary and Advanced levels.
Notably, Advanced Level Computer Science attracted a record 30 candidates last year, with 22 of these attaining A grades.
The school also celebrated notable success in Shona at Ordinary Level, with over 100 candidates earning A grades.
Mr Chigwa attributed these academic improvements to greater investment in learning resources and infrastructure.
“Excellence in this order is never an accident of talent alone; it is built, deliberately and often quickly, on the foundations we lay around our learners,” he affirmed.
Last year, the school acquired textbooks across all levels, and improvements were made to classroom and hostel furniture.
Stewart Hostel was repainted, and tiling was completed in the preparatory rooms and quadrangles at Hanover, Norman, and Windsor hostels.
The school also expanded its technological learning environment with a fully equipped smart classroom featuring a central server supporting 50 thin-client workstations, an interactive board, and virtual reality headsets.
In addition to academic facilities, Chinhoyi Technical High School invested in facilities and income-generating projects aimed at making the institution more self-sufficient.
These included the installation of a 12kV solar system, expanded water reticulation from boreholes to remote hostels, and several infrastructure projects such as a new entrance gate.
Other investments involved 30 desktop computers, locally manufactured furniture, including 1 200 chairs and 320 desks, alongside vehicles and equipment to support school operations and practical learning.
Mr Chigwa highlighted that the expanding sporting and extracurricular programmes were part of a wider strategy to develop well-rounded learners.
School teams have competed at national level in basketball, rugby, baseball, softball, tennis, athletics, debate, and public speaking, while the school re-entered national soccer competitions for the first time in over 12 years.
The school’s robotics programme has also become a key element of its growing technology-focused curriculum.
“This is a school no longer content to prepare learners just for examinations, but deliberately preparing them for livelihoods, trades, and futures they can build with their own hands,” Mr Chigwa explained.
He credited former pupils, organised under the Chinhoyi High School Old Students Association, for playing a vital role in the school’s development.
“None of this progress, however, belongs to the school alone, and it would be a discourtesy bordering on dishonesty to claim it as such,” Mr Chigwa said.
He added that contributions from alumni had helped strengthen both the academic environment and the infrastructure, complementing efforts by teachers, parents, and the entire school community.