adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
“A PARENT walks into my office and says ‘I leave you with my child,’ that means a lot to me because I am given the responsibility to shape a child’s future. Six years down the line, the school should give back to that parent more mature educated person with a sound character. The joy of a parent receiving excellent results is something that gives St Faith’s High School satisfaction”.
These were St Faith’s High head Mr Moses Mukoyi’s preamble on Tuesday when asked what makes the school tick and break academic records.
The school never ceases to flabbergast. Its story and history are inspirational.The support from parents, enthusiasm of students and passion of teachers is something that is absolutely amazing.It has all ingredients that make a school successful stability, a clearly understood vision, teamwork and intrinsic desire to succeed shared by all.
Mr Mukoyi joined the school 25 years ago. The pass rate was 65 percent for ‘O’ Level and 88 percent for ‘A’ Level. Under his reign, he set up functional systems that catapult results to 94 and 100 percent in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In 2015 St Faith’s had 29 candidates who attained 15 points and above with the highest student attaining 25 points.
Three had 23 points, five had 20 points and two had 19 points. 92 out of 104 had 10 points and above. The school had 100 percent pass rate.
At O Level, the school had four students with 13As, 12 with 12As, 10 with 11As, 19 with 10As, 18 with 9As, 17 with 8As, 13 with 7As, 11 with 6As, 13 with 5As. 117 candidates out of 141 had 5As and above.
Overall pass-rate was 97 percent.
The previous year the school had 26 students with at least 15 points – of which one had 25 points and six had 20 points. About 21 of its students had 14 points.
The school had 107 candidates and all passed.
Who would not be bullish with such results and similar ones spread over 25 years? Despite such bold academic footprints, Mr Mukoyi, an astute A-Level English Literature tutor, remains modest, humble even, like a man who is used to these achievements and who knows how to bring out the greatness in students.
“A teacher at this school who lacks subject mastery and pedagogical skill either will not last or be uncomfortable as they come with face-to-face with highly demanding students whose thirst for knowledge is next to none. The students themselves are veracious readers whose thirsty for knowledge is something akin to a lifestyle. They read for long hours, love their work and respect their teachers as reservoiurs of knowledge,” said Mr Mukoyi.
The pint-sized and grey haired school head has high regard for parents, a moral value he inculcated in his teachers so that the school could meet or exceed their expectations.
But is it not true that St Faith’s enrolls the best students?
True, but so do all schools in its league.
“Some say St Faith’s select the brightest students, but which elite school doesn’t. In 2015, Manicaland had more than 500 four pointers at Grade Seven, and the majority did not enroll at St Faith’s. I don’t know what will happen to the rest of those students, but what we guarantee at St Faith’s is that a four pointer at Grade Seven will go on to produce not less than 10As at O Level and 15 points at A Level.
“We give that assurance to parents. People tend to forget that St Faith is not 100 percent boarding, we recruit students with lower grades from the community and the Jairos Jiri establishment, some as low as 20 units at Grade Seven, but our beauty is that were incubate and get passes from those,” said Mr Mukoyi.
The success is attributed to what he termed institutionalised success momentum.
“Spend a day at St Faith’s and you will certainly notice the ambiance at the school-positive, purposeful and business-like. That environment is not a fluke or one day wonder. It is a culture assiduously cultivated over the years. It has transformed into a vibrant way of life. We are simply enjoying the fruits of that culture. As I have said before, it is an institutionalised success momentum”.
“A good school is premised on discipline, knowledge of what is right and wrong, philosophically, and that is creating mental and conceptual boundaries. To know where you are right and wrong, and exercising that self discipline to avoid and restrain ourselves from doing the wrong thing. You can create dura-walls around the school, impose limitations on movement that does not stop people from breaking walls, but conceptual knowledge of knowing what right and wrong makes wonders. It is reinforced by moral values and strong Christian ethics,” said Mr Mukoyi.
How does Mr Mukoyi get the best out of his teachers?
“As people go about their business in an institution, they do not need a slave driver or someone pushing them with a strong arm tactic. A teacher has to be in class because it is their right to do so. They do not need to be pushed to do that because that is what they were called to. I should not know what is happening in a class, but I am generous with praise and sparing with criticism , people need to be acknowledged and praised for their effort. I try to do my best to say thank you to the teachers and students for their extra effort,” he said Mr Mukoyi.
Mr Mukoyi serves as the secretary general of NASH and chairs the Anglican Community of School, positions that allow him to pass advice on areas of common interest and excellence.
Has St Faith attained its ceiling?
Recently, Mr Mukoyi was in Britain and the USA, where he learnt a lot about how to modernise a school.
He said St Faith’s is an old school and requires radical transformation.
The school needs an online research, infrastructure development and to improve teaching methodologies.
“We want to transform St Faith’s into a modern school and for that to happen we are going to make as our priority, to invest in infrastructure from hostels, teacher accommodation to the perimeter fence to create a totally uplifting environment,” said Mr Mukoyi.
He dismissed as “unfounded and malicious” allegations that Madetere, as the school is known, “drills” and not “properly educate” students for the final exams.
“Teaching to the test” is an educational practice that is heavily focused on preparing candidates for the final exam. The practice forces teachers to limit curriculum to a set range of knowledge or skills in order to increase student performance on final exams.
Scholars argue that “students taught using this method lack a comprehensive understanding of subject matter even it raises test scores. They lack grasp of the key concepts of the domain.Mr Mukoyi also dispelled “untested” claims that students from St Faith’s were waste performers at varsities, and instead boasted that St Faith’s High students were the most successful in Africa and abroad.
He went on to show The Manica Post correspondence from acclaimed local and international varsities for seconding students with unmatched work ethic and demeanor for various scholarship programmes.
The varsities were actually begging him to “recommend” more students with high work ethic and academic stamina.
Mr Mukoyi said the welfare of the students was a core component of their success.
To match modern dietary demands, the school sent its entire kitchen staff for further training at Mutare Poly.
The school has also initiated piggery and dairy cattle projects, making it self-reliant in pork and milk.
The school gets beef cattle in lieu of school fees from the local community.
Mrs Charity Mada, an English teacher, said St Faith’s High has a deep seated culture of studying and research.
“The culture unshakable since it is inculcated at Form One and nurtured upto A Level. The teachers are dedicated to their work and go an extra mile to remain ahead of the students, the parents are supportive and there are no conflicts, and all these positive factors combined together create a conducive learning environment,” said Mrs Mada.An Upper Six student Rukudzi Gava, who joined last year from St Mary’s Wedza, said they burn both sides of the candle to set new records.
“There is a reading culture which you rare find in other school, it’s stirred by the desire to set new records and standards. You find students doing five A level subjects due to a hunger for excellence,” he said.
Another student Chiedza Mudangwe said the teachers were workaholic and accessible to students all time.
A Form One student Munashe Matambanadzo said they have since noted that there was no room for sleepers at the school.
“It’s something (reading) we already know we have to do because that is what everyone else is doing. We see the senior boys glued to books, and we are learning and adapting,” said the youngster.
The St Faith’s High head girl Caroline Makoni and captain Azaria Mawoko who serve as the bridge between the students body and the administration said credit must first go to students for the mature way that they took responsibility for their own learning.
“They make huge sacrifices and work hard, giving up their weekends, their school holidays to attend classes seven days. The library and the church are open 247. We do not just study, we pray and study hard, and with such kind of faith it is possible for the school to produce 15 to 25 points, we pass with As and fail with Bs,” said Azariah.
School bursar Mrs Bernadina Gowera-Madzinga said despite the good results, the school was owed several thousands of dollars in unpaid fees.
Fees at the Anglican-run school remain reasonably low at $540.
“We have our own challenges; St Faith’s High is not an all-rich school, the majority of the parents with children here are civil servants, who struggle to pay. We accept payment plans, they pay here and there, hence we have some debtors. They are happy with the results, but they should soldier on so that their kids get the best education,” she said.
St Faith’s has an enrolment of 800 students.
The school has become a so popular that there is stiff competition for boarding places.
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