Hamilton overcomes adversity, celebrates restoration

Sandisiwe Gumbo, Sunday News Reporter

The Covid-19 pandemic brought Hamilton High School to its knees with poor academic performance and a high staff turnover further compounding the school’s difficulties. But like a phoenix, the school continues to rise and reclaim its glory as one of the best schools in Bulawayo.

Hamilton High School headmistress, Mrs Doris Ngwenya said remarkable efforts have been made in overcoming the school’s challenges. Speaking at the school’s annual speech and prize giving ceremony recently held under the theme, “Restoration against all odds”, Mrs Ngwenya said; “As we were pondering on a theme for this year, there was general consensus that there was some peace and tranquillity at our school. Some kind of healing, and some kind of progress. This was after a tumultuous period of trying to land on both our feet after the economic scourge that was left behind by the Covid-19 induced lockdowns. We could not resist the theme of ‘Restoration against all odds’ because the challenges before threatened the very existence of this once mighty educational institution,” said Mrs Ngwenya.

She said the Covid-19 pandemic left many parents unemployed leading to limited resources available to support the school. One of the major obstacles faced by Hamilton High was the decay of its infrastructure.

“The school’s infrastructure decayed as well in sync with the dwindled revenue collection. Enrolment dropped to as low as 650. The years 2021 to 2022 were the worst as the school could barely meet its obligations due to a hyper-inflationary economic environment,” said Mrs Ngwenya.

With the support of the School Development Committee, Hamilton High School devised comprehensive plans to revamp its infrastructure. By the end of the second term this year, enrolment had significantly increased, indicating a renewed interest in the school among pupils and parents alike. Furthermore, learners demonstrated commendable academic performance, excelling not only in their studies but in various sporting disciplines.

“We contributed several athletes to provincial teams like in cricket which went on to win Gold at the Plumtree High School National tournament in July. Two of our boys Bongani Ngozo in Upper Six and Chrispen Mapanzure in Form Four were part of the squad. One of our girls Thabile Nyoni in Form Three went on to represent Bulawayo in the Story Telling category of the 2023 NASSAF festivals held in Gweru in September. Our science club learners came out first in the Robotics competition sponsored by Girls in STEM and were invited to participate at the Bridge building completion at Nust where they got special mention,” said Mrs Ngwenya.

One of the most notable achievements during this period of restoration was the recruitment of highly qualified teachers. The dedication and expertise brought by these educators has undoubtedly contributed to the positive transformation experienced at Hamilton High School.

The headmistress proudly highlighted that discipline among learners had improved significantly, resulting in a decrease in student gang fights with neighbouring schools and teenage pregnancies. This achievement is testament to the collaborative efforts of the school administration, teachers, parents, and pupils themselves.

“Learner discipline is at its best with fewer cases of bullying and zero incidents of inter school gang wars since February. No teenage pregnancies were recorded this year which is why today we celebrate ‘Restoration against all odds’. To our learners, thank you. Nxa kuthiwa Hamilton kutshiwo lina (When they say Hamilton they mean you). You define us. Without you this day would be void. May I congratulate those who are going to get awards today, makorokoto, amhlophe!

“Those who are not getting anything work harder so that tomorrow it is you. At Hamilton, we stand true to our motto which goes,‘We are able to, because we think we are able, not because someone tells us we can’t but because we know we can’.”

The guest of honour, founder and director of Clean Lab Africa, Mr Tinotenda Masikinye, who is a former Hamilton High School pupil said he was proud to have been nurtured at the school.

“As a former Hamiltonian myself, I was nurtured here adequately for adult life in an atmosphere of discipline. I chose to be different in a positive way. I chose to follow the path of education rather than being hero worshipped for doing the wrong things for what could it have benefited me?

“Over the past years that this company (Clean Lab Africa) has been in existence, I have taken it upon myself to bring back the lost glories of Hamilton by making donations of a different nature to the school (talk of restoration). I pledge to do more and I wish a lot more former students of different schools in and around Zimbabwe could emulate such good deeds.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the school authorities for their ceaseless support towards our company and for their open-door policy that allowed us to reach such a level of partnership with Hamilton High School. Clean Lab Africa’s doors remain open to any request and need that they may want because I am one of their own and I am proud to have been nurtured here. I will engage other former students as well that are scattered right round the globe so that we can join hands and do even more for our former beloved school,” said Mr Masikinye. The chairperson of the School Development Committee, Mr Gary Sala said the school had come a long way.

“We have managed to achieve quite a number of things but it has not been an easy road. These achievements include the building of our guardroom, the repairing of our school furniture, which is damaged on a daily basis by our pupils and the placement of some teachers that were not available in some classes during the Covid-19 period which was a very difficult period for everyone. We managed, together with the school, to replace all the white boards for our teachers to be able to write on as they conduct their daily teaching.

“We have also secured most of our classrooms, if not all, to ensure the safety of both our learners as well as our teachers for the smooth-running of lessons. At the moment, we have a few other projects that are still running for the betterment of our school. We have started on a solar project as we are facing a serious challenge with the unavailability of electricity within the school and also water as the water shedding program has a huge impact on the everyday running of the school,” said Mr Sala.

He said the SDC had engaged a plumber to bypass the council water so as to allow the school to use its two boreholes to supply water to the school administration and classroom blocks.

“This will ensure that the school has running water all the time, guaranteeing health and safety for the children and the staff. The school is also on a drive to revive the banana project which was highly affected during the Covid-19 era because no one was available to attend to it as the school was running on skeleton staff,” said Mr Sala.

Pupils who demonstrated exceptional skills in Accounting were awarded prizes sponsored by Epic International Consultant, a firm specialising in accounting. Learners who achieved remarkable results in Combined Science were presented with awards sponsored by Clean Lab Africa, a leading environmental organisation. In addition to academic awards, non-academic awards were given to learners who demonstrated good behaviour, smartness and sportsmanship spirit.

The prestigious Ubuntu Awards were sponsored by the Sydney Malunga Foundation, where pupils who had shown excellent conduct and discipline throughout the year were awarded. The outgoing head girl and head boy gave their speeches while the new prefects were inaugurated. Learners showcased their diverse talents through drama performances, singing, and poetry recitals. The audience was captivated by the creativity and skill displayed by their fellow classmates.

In an effort to prepare learners for the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution, Hamilton High School has designed its curriculum to incorporate subjects that foster innovation, critical thinking, and self-sustainability.

Mrs Ngwenya highlighted the importance of the subjects they have introduced in equipping learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to contribute to Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030.

“As the world embraces the fourth revolution which is characterised by innovation, industrial and economic advancement, Zimbabwe must not lag behind. As such, Hamilton High School has designed its curriculum to answer to the stipulations of the new curriculum so as to produce school leavers who are critical and innovative thinkers, doers and contributors towards the country’s trajectory of attaining Vision 2030.

“Therefore we put much emphasis on subjects such as Business Enterprise, Crop Science, Textiles Design and Technology, Art and Computer Science. Even if pupils do not get the requisite five O-Levels, they will be having knowledge that can help sustain them and contribute to the nation’s vision.”

The school recently introduced a poultry and a gardening project. These projects aim to provide pupils with hands-on learning experiences and promote a deeper understanding of agriculture, sustainability, and self-sufficiency.

Hamilton High School’s journey of restoration against all odds serves as an inspiring example of resilience and determination. Through the collective efforts of the school community and the SDC, the challenges posed have been successfully overcome.