derick.khumalo
Sukoluhle Mthethwa
[email protected]
THE Zimbabwe National Army (Z.N.A) on Friday honoured outstanding schools, pupils and athletes drawn from its education institutions, saying the awards are designed to promote academic excellence, sporting achievement and discipline in line with the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 curriculum.
The awards were presented during the 15th edition of the Commander’s Schools Sports and Merit Awards held at Induna Barracks in Bulawayo, where Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi was the guest of honour.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Director of the Army Education Corps Colonel Abnel Makaripe said the annual awards recognise excellence in both academics and sport while encouraging healthy competition among learners.
“The merit awards are very important. We are converging as we honour students and School Development Committees in various areas of excellence. For our learners, we reward them in sports and academics,” said Col Makaripe.
He said learners had spent the week competing in various sporting disciplines, including rugby, football, netball, chess and drill competitions before the best performers were recognised.
“From Monday, 27 July until today, our learners have been competing in various sporting disciplines. We are now rewarding those who have excelled in those areas,” he said.
Col Makaripe said the academic awards were based on the previous year’s Grade Seven, Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examination results.
“We also reward them in the area of academics where we look at Grade Seven results for last year, Ordinary Level results as well as Advanced Level results. This kind of interaction and ceremony inculcates a spirit of competition, encouraging learners to work hard so that they achieve in their various areas of study,” he said.
He said the awards are aligned with the country’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 curriculum.
“Our theme is underpinned by the imperatives of the Heritage-Based Curriculum, where we are saying we are unlocking the curriculum through the utilisation of our resources, our culture and our heritage. That is what we are celebrating,” said Col Makaripe.
He added that future editions of the awards would also place greater emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competitions to nurture innovation among learners.
Col Makaripe said the Army’s education programme also seeks to instil positive values and address social challenges affecting young people.
“We are also mindful of the need to sing the song of zero tolerance to drug and substance abuse, zero tolerance to early pregnancies and zero tolerance to early child marriages,” he said.
The annual awards are part of the Zimbabwe National Army’s efforts to recognise excellence while fostering academic achievement, sporting talent and responsible citizenship among learners in its schools.
