Heritage-based education pays off for Anglican school

Conrad Mupesa Mashonaland West Bureau

WITH Government emphasising Education 5.0 to help mould students that have a hands-on approach, St Mark’s High School in Chegutu has been honoured for spearheading the model that has transformed day-to-day operations.

The school has several income generating projects that dovetail with the robust educational model and was conferred with prizes and US$5 000 during the inaugural Anglican Diocese of Harare CPCA Bishop’s Merit Awards held last Friday after coming first out of the five boarding schools.

Apart from topping out in executing Education 5.0, the school also excelled in academics, infrastructure development, viable income generating projects, equipping learners with life skills, innovation and child friendliness.

The Harare Diocese covering the provinces of Harare Metropolitan, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East, has a total of 19 church schools, of which five are boarding schools.

Among the projects that St Mark’s High School introduced include fabrication, fish-farming, abattoir, float tray nursery, piggery and poultry.

The school, which recently acquired a commuter omnibus from the various projects’ proceeds, also opened a superette to not only to provide learners with cheap items, but to also instil business acumen in them.

The Government introduced Education 5.0, the heritage-based curriculum, to develop skills and prioritise requisite competencies for learners to help transform the country’s socio-economic status in line with National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030.

Learners at the school have lauded the school’s response to Education 5.0.

For Form Four learner, Nisbert Jameson, who is mastering his skills at the piggery and abattoir projects, he is ready for life after school.

He envisages on starting his own piggery and creating employment just like his schoolmate, Arthur Paradzai, who has mastered the skill of feeding and dosing pigs.

A parent and School Development Committee chairman Mr Israel Mhondiwa commended the Government for emphasising Heritage-Based Education.

“We are grateful to the Government for spearheading and emphasising vocational learning. For us as a school, this has not only come as a benefit to our kids, but helped us run the institution efficiently.

“Due to economic hardships, we have parents that may fail to pay their children’s fees and that gap is filled by proceeds from the projects that are mainly managed and run by our children,” he said.

School head Ms Daily Duri-Borerwe said the vision was to ensure that the holistic programmes equip learners with life skills to groom them into self-reliant, disciplined and responsible citizens.

Almost 1 000 pupils are enrolled and every learner has access to hands-on learning techniques.

The bishop of Harare, the Right Reverend Dr Farai Mutamiri, who appreciated the support given to the church by the Government, said the Anglicans had mooted the concept of vocationalisation to prepare learners a sound exit package.

“The Anglican Diocese of Harare Education Department’s vision is to provide holistic education programmes that equip learners in the Anglican Diocesan schools with life skills aimed at grooming them into self-reliant and responsible citizens of Zimbabwe. Our focus is on ensuring that we prepare our learners for the demands of world at large,” he said.

The church has since introduced vocational subjects that can be examined by HEXCO, driving lessons for O and A Level students and sport academies.

For the Government, the setting up of Bishop Merit Awards was a move that was going to improve educational quality.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, has a running Permanent Secretary’s Awards that are rolled out to all the country’s 10 provinces yearly.

Addressing the gathering, Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary Mr Moses Mhike said equipping children with relevant skills was going to see them contribute meaningfully to the communities.

“The school is therefore encouraged to fully strengthen its technical and vocational component by facilitating the uptake of the National Foundation Courses for its lower secondary pupils and extending the national course to post O Level pupils.

“Pupils must exit the school system with requisite skills, fit for purpose, to sustain their lives and be employment creators after being trade tested,” said Mr Mhike.

He also reiterated Government’s call for schools to accept the ZiG currency for payment of fees and levies.

The inaugural Bishop’s Merit Awards, the church’s Schools Management Board said, would be rolled out annually with plans to cascade them to day secondary and primary schools in 2025.