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Sione Amidu, Gwanda Correspondent
JAHUNDA Primary School in Gwanda continues to provide a decent education while reinventing itself to become one of the most sought after schools in the mining town.
The school boasts of more than 2 200 pupils and 60 teachers. Any school worth its name prides itself in the results it produces and Jahunda Primary School continues to produce commendable results, even during the Covid-19 induced disturbances.
Jahunda Primary School’s excellence is not only reflected in academic results as the school does its best even in sporting activities. The institution was established in 1934 by the Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe and was later handed over to the Gwanda Town Council in 1970. The school is situated in Jahunda Township, some 2,4km from the Municipality of Gwanda offices along Bigben Road.
Speaking during the school’s Speech and Prize Giving Day ceremony last week, Jahunda Primary School Development Committee chairperson Mr Akim Mpofu said the status of the institution has changed from being the poorest to the most admired school because of its excellent pass rates.
“Jahunda Primary was once regarded the poorest school in Gwanda, however, as we speak, the scramble for enrolment in all grades has been high with many parents moving their children from other schools to Jahunda. Our pass rate always hovers above 85 percent. As a result, the school has now become a mega school, boasting more than 2 200 students and 60 teachers as well as six supporting staff members,” said Mr Mpofu.
He applauded the school headmaster for excellent execution of his duties throughout the years.
“During the course of the past year, under the excellent vision of the parents, the school managed to buy a brand new Nissan Navara 2022 Model. The school sourced funds through the school’s fundraising team which is made up of tireless and ever determined teachers who did not give up despite facing insults daily from some fuming parents for frequently asking for funds. Through various fundraising activities, I am proud to say the school managed to tile all the classrooms within the premises,” he said.
Through the different fundraising initiatives, Mr Mpofu said, the school managed to drill a solar-powered borehole as a solution to the water problem which had immensely affected the day-to-day running of the school over the years.
“We also managed to install a solar system which is also supported by a brand new generator for proper electrification of the school during load shedding. The school has managed to repair 95 percent of broken furniture and provides textbooks to all students. At the moment, the school is in the process of completing a science laboratory and also boasts of having a state of the art computer laboratory. The biggest achievement of the year has been the purchase of a new 68-seater bus.”
Mr Mpofu said running a mega school has been a challenge with the school having reached its ceiling in terms of enrolment.
“Our satellite school at Garikai /Hlalani Kuhle still needs to be supported with foot bridges that would link learners and the school during the rainy season. The school also needs funding for instalment of a play centre, gadgets for the ECD pupils play grounds and a borehole to enable it to have adequate water. The school has been given land to build a state-of-the-art arena,” he said.
The headmaster, Mr Silas Moyo, said the school has grown tremendously from the modest population of below 1 000 to 2 279.
“The enrolment growth of the school is 100 percent; 1 150 are girls and 1 121 are boys. This phenomenal rise in enrolment obviously has a domino effect on other essential pillars of the school which include staffing, infrastructure, furniture, and text books,” said Mr Moyo.
He said the quiz team has over the years been posting wonderful results at the competitions they have participated in.
“In 2022, the team came second at the cluster level whereas in 2023, they came second at the provincial competitions for the heritage quiz. The school had 18 athletes in the zonal team that competed against other zones. Of the 18 athletes, seven made it into the Gwanda North team which went to compete at the provincial competitions in Plumtree. Out of the seven, one went to represent Matabeleland South at the national competitions held in Chinhoyi,” he said.
A former learner at the school, Mr Ketsibile Setoboli, who was the guest of honour, urged the school to remain focused and applauded the unity displayed through its achievements.
“I’m impressed by the outlined achievements that the school has realised so far. From a distance, these achievements point to an institution with unity of purpose. The milestones can’t be achieved where division is the order of the day. However, it is imperative that I highlight the individual responsibilities each stakeholder has towards producing the desirable product that Zimbabwe needs,” he said.
Mr Setoboli urged various stakeholders to contribute towards the education of the children and growth of the school.
“I would like to commend the head of the school and the entire staff for a job well done. Continue facilitating the production of wonderful results. The growth in the enrolment and the pressure it brought with it has a negative effect on the results. I am sure the school has already come up with interventions that would ensure that this kind of pass rate is restored and maintained at the 90 percent and above range or better. I hope this year’s results will revert back.
“I would like to urge the responsible authorities to assist in the growth of Jahunda Primary School in line with its enrolment figures. Jahunda Primary has produced good results, kindly reciprocate. The increase needs your intervention to ease the pressure under which the school is operating. I therefore implore closer co-operation between the school and local authority on infrastructure development. We will not continue seeing these impressive results when hot sitting is the order of the day right through to Grade Seven,” he said.
Online Reporter