adminPost Reporter
FIRST Lady, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe, has hailed her former school, Kriste Mambo, for pioneering the emancipation of the girl child and evolving into an academic bastion in its 50 years of existence.
In a speech delivered on her behalf by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Cde Didymus Mutasa, last Saturday, during a milestone Golden Jubilee celebration, Dr Mugabe commended the school for religiously sticking to its constitutional mandate of academically empowering the girl child for the past 50 years.
To commemorate its Golden Jubilee, more than 1 000 stakeholders — among them alumni, parents and guardians of current students, staff corporate representatives got together to a tour of the school to reminisce over its shrewd academic delivery successes.
The school was formed in 1964 by the Dutch Sisters of Charity.
It had an enrolment of 50 girls which has grown over the years to the current enrolment of 600 students.
The school has evolved to be one of the best Ordinary and Advanced level best results-producing high schools in the country.
“The Constitution of Zimbabwe provides for the empowerment of the girl child. Over the years, the school has promoted the emancipation of the girl child and that is why wherever one goes, the chances of meeting former Kriste Mambo students are very high. This is the school that to a great extent moulded me to be who I am today.”
Dr Mugabe hailed the school for inculcating Christian values and life skills that enable students to fit into society after graduating.
“Indeed 50 years of existence is such a long time. From 1964 to date many a girl-child has passed through this school. Imagine where they are, what they have been able to do with their lives. Since Kriste Mambo was one of the few girls’ schools in the country before independence, only the fortunate few were able to enrol,” said Dr Mugabe.
“The Dutch Sisters of Charity who founded this school started with an enrolment of 50 girls. The number has grown to the current enrolment of 557 boarders and 40 day students from the local community. The statistics of academic results in recent years are very impressive. The school has emerged one of the best schools in Zimbabwe.
“The institution not only prides itself for academic excellence, but has made great strides in building world class infrastructure comparable to any school in Zimbabwe,” said Dr Mugabe.
The school has 31 qualified and experienced teachers and 25 supporting staff.
Dr Mugabe said the school’s varied curriculum promotes quality and relevant secondary education, sport, arts and culture, which is in tandem with the Government educational vision.
“It is impressive that the school offers quality education that stimulates the development of broader based capabilities as well as technical competences.
“I therefore encourage the young ladies to think of becoming employers rather than employees. There is need to continue emphasising the entrepreneurs role in stimulating investment and innovation for national growth and prosperity.
“The government has come up with the Zim-Asset blueprint which is the only way to go if ever we are going to improve our economy. The education system has to be relevant in order for it to yield the intended results. I am convinced that the products of this school become relevant as they join commerce and industry. In a developing country such as ours, indeed in all developing countries and emerging markets, education is the gateway to making positive changes in the community. Although we live in a country marked as an emerging economy, we must take cognisance that while we may not have the same technological advancement and facilities, we still live in a global village, one that demands from us the best that we can give and any less is unforgivable.
“As such, I must remind you that the world is becoming more and more competitive on a daily basis, and demands that you continue learning and improving yourself, so that you remain relevant in today’s world and that of the future. I am a firm believer in continual learning, because if we stop learning we cease to exist. We can only attain success and knowledge through continual improvement of ourselves,” said Dr Mugabe.
School head Mr Andrew Mvere appealed to former students and community benefiting as a result of its achievements, to plough back to the school.
He said the school was faced with infrastructural, ICT and library material challenges, whose address requires external support.
He said by so doing the alumni will be giving the students a good grounding and total academic transformation.
He said Kriste Mambo strives to teach its pupils in the best way possible and help them to develop into strong and thoroughly informed future adults.
However, he said, the school cannot do this without the help of outside funding.
Online Reporter