Andrew
Book Review
Edmore Zvinonzwa
A child’s formative years usually shape what they become in future.
As such, their years in primary and secondary school remain crucial.
When you explore Reverend Gift Makwasha’s 230-page book, “High School Education: The Key to Your Elevation” —which draws from the author’s early years — you will find that it carries a very critical message.
The former headmaster of St Faith’s High School, Nelson Moses Mukoyi, says “The Raffingora Experience”, which is the author’s sourcebook, shows how brutally honest Rev Makwasha is about his past.
The author narrates how he lived in a squatter settlement at a farm, where he had first-hand experience of deprivation, poverty, family disintegration and failure to get decent education.
Raffingora is a prime farming area in Zvimba North, Mashonaland West province. The area has been home to some of the largest and most productive commercial farms in the country.
The writer’s time as Chaplain of Arundel School from 2012 was defining.
For six years, he would deliver motivational speeches based on scriptures to hundreds of girls and teachers.
This was after his return to Zimbabwe to take up the post of Academic Dean of Bishop Gaul College, an Anglican theological seminary.
In his book, published by Gift Media Incorporated in 2021 and grounded in scripture, faith and reason, Rev Makwasha emphasises the importance of education.
“High School Education: The Key to Your Elevation” presents ideas in a unique way.
Audrey Mavhurume’s testimony proving that the girl-child can thrive even in a patriarchal set-up is particularly poignant.
“. . . I was determined never to disappoint my parents, especially my unique dad! I worked extremely hard in school. It was my goal to prove the doubters wrong. I wanted them to realise that the girl-child was just as good as a male child!”
The writer also has a word on how to deal with dream killers.
“Sometimes we waste our time trying to impress people, especially those who think less of us . . . However, if you are not careful, you may be wasting your time and energy for nothing.” (p48)
Other sections look at equally key aspects of life: knowing one’s goal, trusting God the Almighty, giving back to the community and country, being positive, focus, enthusiasm, discipline and taking criticism, among other things.
The writer has also just published a novel, “Mt. Inyangani”, which will be available in the country soon and is working on another book on 200 Shona/Ndebele proverbs for schools.
Rev Makwasha is married and has four children. He was born in Kadoma in 1972 and stayed at Muriel Mine in Mashonaland West.
Following his parents’ divorce, he moved to live with his mother in a squatter camp in Raffingora until he was 21, when he started training as an Anglican priest.
“I grew up the hard way. We were the poorest of the poor. I was expelled from school at the beginning of 1988 for non-payment of school fees and spent that whole year at the local garbage-dumping site while other kids were at school.
“That became the turning point of my life as I suddenly realised that the first step for me to break the poverty cycle and curse was to get at least a high school education.
“Somehow, my mother found a little bit of money for me to go back to school the following year. I was so determined to overturn the tables and I did by becoming the top student in my stream and completing high school with A’s and B’s, something that had never happened,” he said in an interview.
Despite the early setbacks, Rev Makwasha went on to enrol at the University of Zimbabwe and got a scholarship to do a master’s degree in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
“Upon completion, I did a Doctor of Theology degree at Boston University School of Theology, returning to Zimbabwe in 2011 as Dean of Studies at the Anglican Theological College, and also taught the UZ Theology Diploma programme at several theological schools.”
He is currently a chaplain and teacher of religion at an elite school in Australia and this must-read book equips students with tools to navigate successfully through high school.
Online Reporter