adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
MUTARE Girls High School (MGHS) is passionate about and dexterous in girls’ education. It inspires girls to dream big; bloom intellectually; think critically and autonomously; become accountable and confident young global citizens. The school’s vision is ensuring girls graduate as inspired young leaders bottled with confidence, a love for studying and a sense of spiritual, social and economic empowerment to strengthen communities.
MGHS caters for 844 girls and focuses on addressing needs of the ‘whole girl’ through a comprehensive, well-rounded education and environment that inspires, challenges, encourages and supports them to attain their full potential and amazing young women.
MGHS head Mrs Tendai Patricia Matongera said that the girls are provided nutritious meals; spiritual, social, mental and emotional mentorship; access to internet and online research; healthcare and supportive learning environment with finest conditions guaranteeing future accomplishment.
Over the years, the academic and sporting profile of the school has been increasing with a number of their products making into challenging professions and landing scholarships to pursue various sporting discipline in Europe and USA.
Academic performance
In 2015 the school’s O level pass rate was 62, 77 percent down from 64, 7 percent obtained the previous year. In 2013 the pass rate was 60,84 percent.
The 2015 A level pass rate was 94 percent.
In 2014 and 2013 the school attained 100 and 95,45 percent, respectively.
“The fluctuation was a result of many variables that include the intake at Grade Seven and availability of financial and learning resources. Parents are not paying school fees, shrinking our financial resource base, and in the end our ability to offer duality service was compromised.
“We had 156 students, and 79 passed at O level while 46, out of 49 passed at A Level. At O level, 10 students had 5As or better, and we have put in place systems and strategies to better the girl’s performance,” said Mr Matongera, who assumed headship of the school in 2010.
“We are making progress and already implementing strategies meant to improve the performance of our girls. We have bigger chunk of day students than boarders, and we have done our research by visiting sampled homesteads to assess the conditions under which our students stay, and realised that some of the conditions are not conducive for learning and in line with that we have extended the study time for our exam class by at least an hour so that the girls wind up their work before going home.
“We are making sure that A Level girls do not just rely on text books, but also research on their own by establishing an in-house online research centre separate from the computer lab which is used by the generality of the girls. This way we are preparing the senior girls for the tertiary education life.”
Prior to this arrangement, the senior girls accessed research facilities at CBD internet cafes, thereby exposing them to dangers.
The school’s strength lies in arts and commercials. Its STEM class has 10 girls doing Maths, Biology and Chemistry. MGHS does not select students for enrolment and recruits students with as poor as 27 units at Grade 7.
Sporting
Mutare Girls High School is arguably a bastion of sporting excellence in Manicaland – consistently churning out iconic personalities that were exported to various academies in Europe and America.
The school basket and volley ball teams have been competing at national level in recent years with its best players making it to the national teams that participated in the Confederation of School Sports Associations of Southern Africa (Cossasa) Ball Games.
The school has churned out promising tennis players such as Karen Machisa, Glory Zhou, Pauline Chawafambira, Munashe Chifamba and Karen Muswere were awarded scholarship by American and European academies.
Two of its junior tennis players Beverly Matsiwe and Nandi Munyulwa are currently in South Africa for the African Junior Championships finals. In athletics and field events, the school will be represented at the national finals by Peace Chimeri (hammer throw) and Kudzai Muzamindo (javelin).
Sporting and academic target
“We are targeting a success rate of beyond 70 percent in all we do. We are incorporating parents into this vision since education is like a three legged pot – that is the parents, students and teachers – make up the three legs. Those with the experience of using the three legged pots will tell you how difficult it is to tag the pot when one of the legs is broken. We take parents on board because we do not want them to abdicate the responsibility of educating their children,” she said.
Non-payment of school fees
Despite its fame, MGHS is struggling to finance its operations as parents struggle to pay school fees. The school has 189 boarder students, who each pays $520 and 655 day scholars whose fees per head is pegged at $170.
“It’s a headache, many parents struggle to pay fees, and it now worse because most are purposefully taking advantage of the Government directive barring school from sending away children. We try to communicate with parents to show commitment by staggering payment, but some come just to have the kids accommodated and after that you don’t see them. This has affected progress, but when that policy stance was taken, the idea was to prevent children from missing out lessons since they are not the purse holders. Parents are now taking advantage of that to abdicate their responsibility to pay fees. We cannot do everything in our vision because the school lacks financial resources,” said Mr Matongera.
Teamwork
The changing landscape of public education has had a significant impact on the roles of the personnel who serve in schools. To be successful, teachers and para-educators must view themselves as teams and partners in the educational process. Team effectiveness can be achieved by sharing expectations with one another, by allowing everyone to participate in the planning process, by appreciating each other’s unique personality traits, by respecting diversity, and by demonstrating a positive attitude toward teamwork. Once a team works well together, the job is less stressful, more enjoyable, more rewarding for all team members, and results in greater benefit to students.
“I am blessed with a workaholic team. The teachers realised that there is no other job out there waiting for them, so they work to perfection, and we recognise that extra effort they put monetarily and through staff development,” said Mrs Matongera.
Projects
The school has own a vexing court battle to evict squatters that had evaded one of the school hostels. The hostel was left in a dilapidated state, but has since been renovated and ready for occupation by students in the second term. The school has also added an extra golden girl within its rank and file after taking delivery of a brand new Faw bus from Faw Zimbabwe for $120 000. The school secured a loan from a local commercial bank, and will pay $13 000 per term for three years.
MGHS has set its sight on expanding its learning space through the construction of three classroom blocks, an admin block and library.
Online Reporter