adminTendai Gukutikwa
CATHOLIC schools should embrace the new education strategies that are being introduced by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the Bishop of Mutare Diocese Rt Reverend Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, has said. Bishop Muchabaiwa said this while officially opening a science laboratory at the Roman Catholic-run St Mary’s High School in Chikanga last Friday.
He said the school which has been operating without a laboratory since its opening should take advantage of the Science facility and embrace the ongoing curriculum review by the responsible ministry. “I urge all school heads here present to hold on to the new schemes and policies that are being introduced by Government as it reviews the curriculum.
“Catholic schools should be exemplary in implementing and embracing the new curriculum so that others follow their footsteps as St Mary’s High School here has done. “The new curriculum recommends a teacher to become a facilitator and that means that these facilitators’ job will be to guide the students as they focus mainly on research on their own and evident enough, this school is already a few steps ahead a lot of you gathered here who do not have science laboratories at their schools,” said Bishop Muchabaiwa.
He further stated that Science subjects bring out the best in students and encouraged the students to discover their potential and become innovative thereby moving hand in hand with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s view of letting the child research and explore with only but a facilitator to guide him.
The advanced laboratory which cost the school $117 500 is a state of the art facility that will help in the discovering of hidden skills in students.
Addressing the same gathering, National Co-ordinator in the National Catholic Schools board, Reverend Sister Doctor Anna Theresa Nyadombo, said the facilitators’ main duties would be to guide, assess, mark and rank the students. She later advised St Mary’s High School students to make use of the science laboratory so that when their facilitators assess them, they will come out tops in the province.
“Use this laboratory competently because the new curriculum is emphasizing on Science subjects.
Since you already have an advanced laboratory here, I believe you will come out tops in the province and most probably the country over since you are already embracing the new curriculum,” she stated. In his vote of thanks, St Mary’s High School headmaster, Mr Ian Chibvuri, thanked the church and parents for their support towards the construction and set up of the laboratory.
“I challenge you to discover why climate is changing abruptly and why our rivers and dams are drying up. Discover all these using this laboratory that we have set up for you as your teachers and parents because by so doing we are leaving a legacy for you and other future generations,” he said. Also gracing the same event was, Diocesan Education secretary, Mr Augustine Muodzi and various school heads from schools around the district.
Online Reporter