Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube
MOSI-OA-TUNYA High School in Victoria Falls has distinguished itself as a centre of excellence and launch pad for career paths in Victoria Falls.
The Victoria Falls Municipality-run institution opened its doors in 1982 as an upper top, Chinotimba Primary School, with a handful of learners.
The school moved to its present site in 1985 and 38 years down the line, enrolment has grown to more than 1 500 pupils with a staff complement of 72 teachers.
A number of high-profile individuals have come through the doors of the school whose curricular and extra-curricular work surpasses many in Matabeleland North Province.
Some of the names include incumbent Hwange West Member of Parliament Mr Godfrey Dube, former Victoria Falls Mayor Alderman Nkosilathi Jiyane and tour operating company Dingane Tours founder Mr Rasmos Dube.
There are several sport personalities as well, including Highlanders Football Club’s duo of Prince Dube and Bukhosi Ncube and Tymon Mvula of Dynamos.
The name Mosi-oa-Tunya is derived from one of the World’s Natural Wonders, Victoria Falls, and is Tonga for “the smoke that thunders”.
Said the school’s headmaster Mr Roland Sibanda: “The school’s approach is to develop a complete citizen who will leave the school with life skills. Mosi-oa-Tunya also offers HEXCO classes not only for our learners but also for members of the community.
“This has made the school unique in comparison with other schools from the region. Many members of the community and former students have taken advantage of this development. The local tourism industry has also benefitted as it can easily scout for qualified workers within the resort town rather than looking for people from far away areas who have the necessary skills,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said the school, which is located right in the heart of the resort town’s oldest suburb of Chinotimba, symbolises the concept of inclusive education.
Besides conventional Form One to Six, the institution offers higher and tertiary education continuous learning and skills-based training.
HEXCO courses on offer include Computer Operations and Packages, Food Preparation, Food and Beverages, Garment Construction, Pattern Making, Ornamental Horticulture, Graphic Design and Wild Life Management.
The school offers sciences, commercials, languages, humanities and technical subjects both at Ordinary and Advanced Level in line with the new curriculum.
These are Combined Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Mathematics, IsiNdebele, English, Family and Religious Studies, Heritage, History, Sociology, Principles of Accounts, Commerce, Economics, Business Studies, Musical Arts, Art, Food Technology Design, Textile Technology Design, Agriculture, Wood Technology Design, Computer Science, Technical Graphics, Physical Education and Mass Displays.
The same are done at A Level including Pure Mathematics, Statistics, Mechanics, Literature in English, Literature in IsiNdebele, Business Enterprise, Sports Management and Sport Science.
The school also offers courses relevant to the main functions of Victoria Falls such Tour Guiding, Horticulture Nurse Aid Training.
The Guidance and Counselling department includes First Aid and life skills clubs, Girls and Boys Empowerment movements (BEM and GEM), Orphans and Vulnerable children’s welfare and child headed families support groups.
Mr Sibanda, who joined the school in 1999 as a teacher before rising through the ranks, said despite lack of a special needs class, they enrol learners with various disabilities.
Of the 72 teachers, 39 have degrees, three of them holding Masters and one with a PhD. The rest are holders of Diplomas in Education from various colleges countrywide.
The pass rate for both O and A level has been rising since Mr Sibanda became headmaster in 2013, starting as an acting head three years earlier.
“For the first time the English language pass rate beat 50 percent mark when it rose from 41.1 percent in 2018 to 72 percent in 2019,” said Mr Sibanda.
More than 400 pupils sat for O Level with 58 getting while in Pure Mathematics there were nine five pointers out of 31 candidates posting an 87 percent pass rate.
“The academic side has also shown great improvement over the years. The school’s pass rate has been steadily increasing which is the main objective of the whole process. In Advanced Level the pass rate has never fallen below 75 percent in the last six years while at O Level it rose to 30.5 percent last year from 12.3 in 2014,” said Mr Sibanda.
It was two percent when Mr Sibanda became acting head in 2010.
The A level pass rate rose from 75.86 percent in 2018 to 88.6 last year where 131 candidates sat for the exams with 91 of them passing and 35 of them with 10 points and above.
The best O Level candidate had nine As, 1B, and 1C.
Thirty-five A Level learners scored 10 points and above, one of them getting 14 points in commercials, another 16 points in Arts and two with 13 points in Sciences.
The school’s landscape has also changed with a state of art sports field which could be the best in the province as most provincial sporting events are held there.
The school has a running partnership with Lupane State University with some of the university’s lectures conducted at the institution.
“Our school is also a nerve centre for the Non-Formal Education also referred to as Part Time Continuing Education (PTCE). The main objective of this programme is to ensure that those who failed to make it while in formal education are given a chance to better their lives. The Non-Formal sector focuses on Junior and Ordinary level,” the head said.
Out of the classroom, the school has an athletic club which has produced fine athletes like Dickson Kapandura who drew attention from as far as USA and Finland.
In the 2018 edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, the school nutrition club won bronze for its project in the traditional cow-peas and groundnuts biscuits.
In life skills orientation, the Quiz Team has for three consecutive years been first runner up at the National Aids Council National High School Quiz competition between 2015 and 2017, and finished in top five in 2018 and 2019.
Mosi-oa-Tunya High School choir performed for United Nations and African Union guests during the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in 2013.
Mosi-oa-Tunya has hosted the inaugural combined boys and girls Copa Coca Cola tourney in 2012, Stella Tanganda Netball Tournament, top schools basket ball tournament, first and second combined Provincial NAPH/NASH athletics competition, and Under 20 Volleyball National tournaments.
Some former students doing well include Mbekezeli Dube who is studying engineering in Algeria, Tonderai Sibanda and Anesu Mapuranga who are studying in USA while several others have represented the country worldwide in various disciplines.
Online Reporter