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Oliver Kazunga, Acting Business Editor
A DREAM which began with three children sitting in a room in 2012 has turned to reality with the opening of a state-of-the-art private school in Bulawayo.
One of the city’s youthful entrepreneurs, Chrophet Muchinezuro, is the brains behind the initiative.
Born March 28, 1982 in Mashava, Muchinezuro told Business Chronicle this week that his passion and love for education inspired him to venture into the education sector.
“The passion, love for education and the need for personal development inspired me to venture into the education sector in 2012 establishing early learning centres in the city.
“And through the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment programme, I realised that there are more opportunities than challenges in education sector as education is a basic need,” said the Royal Stars Pre-School proprietor who is also a pastor.
The young entrepreneur, who started his business in 2012, runs two branches in Pumula South and another one situated along 15th Avenue between Robert Mugabe Way and George Silundika Street in the city centre.
“Through my interaction with children at church, the dream to open learning centres for children started in my sitting room with three children during the first term of 2012. In the second and third terms of the same year, the number of children grew to six and 13 respectively.
“As the figure was growing, by that time we had to open two learning centres in Pumula South as more parents from the community started enrolling with us,” he said.
From all the three branches, the pre-school’s enrolment is about 120.
Through the support of his wife,Veronica, Muchinezuro has expanded his horizons following the establishment of a state-of- the-art private school, Destiny Learning Centre situated at Number 8, Manchester Road in Belmont.
The school, which opened its doors to pioneer students last year, has a total enrolment of 48.
In January 2014, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazurus Dokora announced the introduction of four years of compulsory infant education, meaning nine years of primary education for schoolchildren.
In the past, the country’s education system had seven years of primary school, although there has been a year of Early Childhood Development (ECD) class known as Grade Zero.
The introduction of four years of compulsory infant education meant that the government was introducing ECD “A” and “B” and Grades One and Two.
The government has also trained ECD teachers that were being trained together with para-professionals who graduate from non-teaching colleges to fill up the vacancies.
In line with Zimbabwe’s new constitution which demands quality education for all, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s structure involves the infant school to equip infants with a basic education foundation that prepares them better for their later years in school.
Muchinezuro said, “Destiny Learning Centre which opened in January last year starting with Grade 1 and Grade 2s joined in the middle of the year and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has promised to assist us as much as it can”.
The school is built on Christian principles to inculcate moral values in children as they are raised, said Muchinezuro.
This, he said, dovetails with his motto, “Raising Shining Stars.”
Muchinezuro said their philosophy is: “There’re no dull children”.
He said only dull teachers and parents were the ones who contributed to a child’s dullness.
The entrepreneur said: “A child, when born, is clean and can be anything (succeed or fail); when given an opportunity by parents and teachers, a child can rise and shine.”
He said his organisation’s vision was to offer education from early childhood up to university level.
Muchinezuro, who is also a motivational speaker, has written three books.
“I’m also a motivational speaker and have written books that have been published and are doing well on the market. The books are, It Pays To Be Different, Success Matrix Volume One, Revival In Your Marriage, and Indestructible Marriages,” he said.
His latest offering Understanding Covenant Prosperity was launched a fortnight ago.
Added Muchinezuro: “The books talk about how one can maximise rewards through uniqueness, how one can break out of poverty and how to kindle love in a marriage. Proverbs 23 verse 4, it says through understanding, a house is established, and so in Revival In Your Marriage, I’m saying it’s understanding that establishes marriages.”
One of the yet to be published books, The Source Of Personal Achievement, talks about Muchinezuro’s personal life experiences when he was growing up.
“I was born in a poor family. I started my primary education at Magocha School in Bikita in 1989 and because I was coming from a poor family, I went to school bare footed and we used to walk seven kilometres to school,” said Muchinezuro, who is a third born child in a family of six.
“My father was employed at Gaths Mine in Mashava and the paltry salary he earned was not enough to provide a decent living to the six of us and our extended family,” he said, recalling years he had to endure the chilly weather going to school without a jersey in winter.
Muchinezuro completed Ordinary Level at Temeraire High School in Mashava in 1998.
“From Form One to Three, I went to school with one uniform and that uniform had become very old; the shorts had patches at the back and one of my friends gave me one of his pair of uniforms when I was in Form Four.
“I never went for Advanced Level after completing my Ordinary level. I worked at Humani Farm in the Save Valley Conservancy for three years and other different places for quite some time.
“In 2004, I then secured a scholarship from somebody who is a Christian for me to study Bible studies in Botswana.
“Upon completing my studies there, they offered me opportunities, but I decided to come back home in 2010 before venturing into pre-school business in 2012,” he said.
Muchinezuro said he worked at the farm because he wanted to raise school fees for one of his young brothers, Tazviona, who recently graduated at the National University of Science and Technology with a degree in Marketing.
Asked about his word of advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs, Muchinezuro said, “I encourage people to start their own small little enterprises with those resources that they have. I don’t believe that they should go looking for loans or waiting for some source elsewhere.
I believe that one’s gift is a platform that can serve as one’s capital. People should be willing to start small; what breaks most people’s dreams is that they want to start at higher level.”
Online Reporter