‘Risk your cool a little bit’

Yoliswa Dube recently in Binga
THE boy who has to walk at least 15km under the sweltering heat to a school that offers skeletal education facilities can look forward to a future beyond the shade of trees and the bare ground he sometimes has to learn from.And the girl who brings and prepares her own food as well as sleeps on the floor at a low cost boarding facility at her school has reason to believe there is more to yearn for outside her school.

They both can seek opportunities beyond the hot and arid rural Binga, where education standards have been at an all-time low and children have to walk long distances to the nearest school.

Most have to do with diminutive learning materials, rely on unqualified teachers and depend on emaciated infrastructure.

Many only go as far as O-Level after which they have to get married and take care of their own families through subsistence farming which is hardly successful in the arid region.

It is a vicious cycle and for a significant number of these young people, a tough one to break.

But there is hope, hope that doors can open and Binga Road can lead to aeroplanes which could land one anywhere in the world where there are better opportunities and a brighter future to look forward to.

“I had never thought about how I could become someone important if I worked hard at it and looked for better opportunities. I never thought much about life after completing my O-Levels,” said Coghlan Ngwenya, a Form Four pupil.

The pint sized Ngwenya, one of many pupils who have to walk long distances to school and still expected to do chores at home and produce good results in school said he was too scared to dream big.

“My parents believe education is important, just enough for me to be able to read and write a letter. They don’t talk to me about anything else other than growing to be a man who will be able to work hard and take care of his family,” he said during the Binga Career Fair hosted by Manjolo High School recently.

After United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton had given a talk about taking risks and seeking opportunities elsewhere while officiating at the event, Ngwenya said he believed there was hope for him and his peers.

“I’d never heard of him (Ambassador Wharton) before today but hearing someone like him telling me, a rural boy, that I could make a success out of my life was motivating. I know now that I can do more with my life,” said the star-struck boy.

The Binga Career Fair is an annual event which seeks to orient pupils on various career opportunities available to them, in Zimbabwe and beyond our borders and is an initiative of former pupils of schools in the district.

The purpose of the career fair is to provide opportunities for young people to learn more about career options. A major objective of this fair is to provide networking and mentorship opportunities between pupils and professionals.

The fair provides a platform for professionals to share information about career paths to motivate students.

It also shares with them funding options for their chosen academic paths.

Different schools from the district converge on a particular venue where exhibitors are ready to share information and begin to build dreams.

The schools that participated at this year’s fair were Binga and Manjolo High Schools as well as Sinakoma, Siabuwa, Simatelele, Kariangwe and Mpambe Secondary Schools.

Among those exhibiting at the fair were Education USA, Hillside Teachers’ College, Great Zimbabwe University, University of Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo Scholarship Trust, Ministry of Health and Child Care  as well as the Ministry of Small and  Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development.

“I used to walk long distances to and from school every day until a dormitory was built at my school. I’ve to bring and prepare my own food because it’s a low cost boarding facility with no kitchen and no one to cook for us,” said Miriam Sibanda, as she tucked in her shirt and moved to the shade of a nearby tree.

Although the dormitory is electrified and the burden of having to walk long distances to school had been lifted, Sibanda said the conditions in the dormitory were unfavourable.

“We have to keep our pots in our rooms and the environment is not always hygienic. I’m grateful though that this facility has kept me in school and more of my time is spent doing school work,” said the timid girl.

Sibanda is ready to defy all odds and be known as the girl from rural Binga who became a successful lawyer.

“I’ve just visited the University of Zimbabwe stand and have been told what I need to do to enroll into the university. I’ve also learnt about the various scholarships available. All I need to do is work hard and achieve good grades,” she said.

Manjolo High School, where Sibanda and Ngwenya learn, has an enrolment of 650 with 301 of the pupils being girls. It has 38 teachers and achieved high school status in 2012.

Last year, the school had a pass rate of 18,5 percent at O-Level and 64,5 percent at A-Level.

The school produces 20 students with five O-Levels per year.

“It’s all about knowing what’s available otherwise these children have a bright future ahead of them. Also, their parents need to be involved in their education and not be content with their children being able to read and write only,” said Noma Mabhena, Education USA coordinator.

She said there were some pupils from Binga who had gone as far as the USA to pursue academic careers.

“Nothing is impossible, these kids just need to know what’s out there and be taught how they can achieve their goals. There is no reason why a child from Binga can’t study in the USA,” she said.

Every year, scores of pupils leave the country’s secondary schools armed with career aspirations that either require in-service technical training or formal academic education beyond secondary school.

A majority of pupils however, do not have access to adequate information about the right subject combinations required to qualify for entry into higher education or certain career options as they make significant career and life decisions in the earlier secondary school years.

While attaining a university degree should be a real option for all pupils, it is not the only way to adult success.

There are many rewarding and productive occupations, some which require a few years of post-secondary schooling or training.

But, without career guidance, some pupils end up missing the various opportunities available to them.

The financial challenges and the lack of career guidance represent some of the most critical challenges faced by most young people in unleashing their full potential.

This lack of career information may mean the difference between a rewarding and productive occupation leading to adult success and a mediocre adult life.

Ambassador Wharton said he was hopeful about Zimbabwe’s future.

“I’m profoundly optimistic about Zimbabwe’s future. I’m confident of the human capacity, honesty and integrity. The work Zimbabwe has done since 1980 and its commitment to education is an extraordinary thing. I’ve never been to a place where people are so hungry and committed to education. One of Zimbabwe’s greatest gifts is education,” said Ambassador Wharton.

He added: “I’m proud that a number of kids from Binga are now in the United States education system.”

Ambassador Wharton said it was important for pupils to take risks and look for opportunities.

“Each of you should look for opportunities to do things. Do things out of your comfort zone. Risk your cool a little bit. Every famous person has doubts and insecurities, sharing your insecurities is a risk you should take,” said the US diplomat.

“Like Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said,” Ambassador Wharton concluded, “If your dreams don’t scare you, then they are not big enough.”