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Kudzai Chikiwa, Sunday Life Reporter
WHEN the country counts academic stars, Kumalo Primary School in Bulawayo is among the best. The academic giant that boasts of 1 562 pupils comprising 788 boys and 755 girls, started off in Khumalo North as early as 1947 with only 42 pupils. In 1952 it moved to the low-density suburb of Kumalo and draws its enrolment from the following suburbs, Kumalo, Parklands, Killarney, Selbourne Park, Selbourne Brook, Sunninghill and portions of Suburbs, Kensington, Riverside, UBH and Woodlands.
Because of its history of excellence, it now attracts learners form outside its zone like the city centre, up to the far flung high density suburbs of Cowdray Park and Pumula South.
It is the only Government school surrounded by private schools including St Thomas Aquinas, Centenary, Masiyephambili, Petra and Fairview. This does not drain its quest for excellence as in 2017 it boasted of outstanding Grade Seven results with an 89 per cent pass rate. The pass rate in English was 99 percent, Mathematics 93 percent, SiNdebele 96 percent, General Paper 96 percent and Agriculture 92 percent.
The school has a strong vision to be the “preferred public primary school of academic and sporting excellence providing quality education for socio-economic transformation.”
The school has a strong foundation of unity of purpose where they believe that diligence, punctuality, integrity, courtesy, honesty, responsibility, teamwork and empathy are the best ingredients to mould their Excellency.
“Kumalo Primary School is not an amateur in academics and has all aspects that a school is expected to excel in. Our mission is to provide a broad based qualitative, inclusive and relevant infant and junior education aimed at producing acceptable, useful, literate and numerate pupils who can fit into any secondary school. Since the school started, we have been adhering to this mission and l can confidently say we are in the right path,” said the school headmistress, Mrs Stella Mhlanga in the comfort of her office.
Kumalo is a highly rated Government primary school in Bulawayo because of its quest to catch up with the expectations of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as far as learning is concerned. The competence based curriculum is effectively implemented from ECD A to Grade Four. Learners’s talents are identified and the facilitators strive to nurture them.
“Our desire is to build a complete character that is competitive in the outside world. We believe that primary level is the genesis of a child’s success hence we try and nurture every talent. At the end of the day when someone becomes successful the first tribute goes to the primary teachers who help them identify who really they are. The new curriculum is welcome here and we always encourage our members of staff to embrace this innovative way of teaching,” said Mrs Mhlanga.
Every home has its culture and values which it jealously guards. Kumalo thrives to be an epitome of discipline and a producer of morally upright future leaders.
“In our school we enforce discipline. It was therefore pertinent and imperative to create a student’s board in the form of prefects to assist disciplinary matters. We chose 50 prefects to take up this task and we hold monthly meetings to make suggestions on how to improve discipline,” said Mrs Mhlanga.
The choice of prefects at Kumalo Primary School is open for discussion and subject of debate. They believe in a school for the pupils by the pupils where values are not dictated upon pupils but are discussed at a round table.
Online Reporter