adminFreedom Mutanda
THE United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe runs Mount Selinda High School among many other schools in Chipinge District.
Recent events at the school have left a sour taste in the mouth of any right thinking individual in the country who has children at heart.
Some weeks ago, students marched into Chipinge Town and went to the church’s offices demanding a return of a luxurious D4D Toyota truck that the church in its ‘eternal wisdom’ took away from the church torchbearer in its war against Pastor Watson Bundwa, the incumbent headmaster of ‘Chinyuka’.
Church politics have always been there and as we unpack the goings-on at Mt Selinda High School, we must be mindful of the analogy of the fight between two elephants.
The grass suffers. That grass is our children who are learning at the school.
At the height of the reformation, a German pastor, Martin Luther decided to question the sale of indulgences and the result was his expulsion from the mainstream Catholic Church. He was deemed a heretic clergyman for daring to question the status quo. Church politics threaten to destroy the school. The Roman Catholic Church expelled Martin Luther when it felt his theses were at variance with its belief system. Decisive leadership or rather lack of it within UCCZ, is at the core of Mount Selinda High School’s woes.
Mt Selinda High School is the flagship of UCCZ and presumably, it is a cash cow for those that are at the church’s head office. That is in order. From 1893, Mt Selinda Mission has consistently churned out luminaries in various fields although it is Chikore High School that had the first enrolment of secondary school students in the late 50s.
Can it be a question of the church failing to exercise its powers over a head that it recommended to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education or there is a hidden hand that wishes the school to go 10 steps backwards in terms of development?
Events of the past two weeks make sad reading; a whole group of Form Four students walked to Chipinge, a distance of about 32 kilometres to express their disgust at how a whole group of ‘People of God’ connived to take a headmaster’s car and ostensibly clamped it, but then allowed a youngster to drive it.
It was a cry from the children. They say mwana asingachemi anofira mumbereko. If these children were complaining about a bus or lorry that has been seized and they could not go on sports or seminar trips, people would understand.
The bus and lorry are there.
Could it be that someone instigated the children to get out of their comfort zones and demand a vehicle that adds prestige to the school? There is a car that the head uses in his day to day running of the school.
Granted, the church wanted a pound of flesh from the school and the writer guesses that they got it. Almost all schools run by the church have to pay something to the church. Biriiri High School, a United Baptist Church run institution, was once in the eye of a storm because of a tug of war between the head and the church, but at the end of the day, sanity prevailed.
If UBC was able to solve its problems why doesn’t UCCZ take notes from them and other churches? Is it a Mr Know -it-all quality that pervades mankind?
Somewhere in the Bible, there is a verse that says: ‘pride precedes a fall.’
Parents are stakeholders in this macabre situation. They are ignored as if their input is not important. Some are contemplating transferring their children from the school as they realise that more time is spent on skulduggery than teaching/learning.
Over the past six or so years, Mt Selinda High School has produced good results year-in-year-out especially at ‘Ó’ Level where it has sat at the apex of the district quality log. Teachers work well where the environment is conducive and it is in this regard that recent events point towards factionalism at school and church levels.
In this day and age, you find a church organisation that shies away from media scrutiny, the constitution of the church must spell out the linkages between the church and schools under its jurisdiction.
Once the parameters are set, there won’t be this hullabaloo that threatens to make Mt Selinda a school of incessant squabbles and strikes.
My humble submission is for the church to draw out contracts to heads at any of its institutions of learning which must be signed and the parent ministry would be a witness.
It is a fact that the buildings belong to the church, but it is equally important to realise that without the Public Service Commission through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, teachers won’t get paid. When the church recommends a head to the ministry, it would have done due diligence on the individual; as such, the ministry rescinds its decision when there is a water tight piece of evidence against a head.
Is the church saying it is realising its pastor is not up to scratch? It is a sad indictment on itself.
A head who refused to be named, suggested that the church must redeploy its heads every five years so that there won’t be career heads at any of its institutions. Rotating heads is healthy but at the same time, the Education Secretary in the Synod, must see to it that there is development.
There was a time everyone lauded Pastor Watson Bundwa for his developmental thrust at Mt Selinda High School. People cited numerous things he has done to make the school a shining beacon in the district. I have always said an administration has to have a collective approach to anything, whether it is success or failure.
This obsession with over-praising an individual will have some unwanted effects on the individual(s) concerned. When a school under the church flourishes, it is a collective success. To that end, the church has to be happy that Mt Selinda High School is doing well and not to throw spanners in the works. It must not be a fly in the ointment.
Now, I believe the man of cloth must walk the talk. He is fighting against his fellow pastors but the winner is destruction of the revered institution.
In my view, UCCZ, must have a paradigm shift in its leadership elections. Other churches ordain bishops who go on to serve until they retire or die.
That makes it possible for the bishop to tackle issues that affect his/her church whether at religious or school level without fearing that in the next elective congress s/he will be side-lined.
Every time there is a leadership change within the corridors of power of UCCZ, squabbles erupt at school level. It won’t be surprising that Pastor Watson Bundwa fell out of favour with the president Ngadziore-led administration or the latter is afraid of taking decisive leadership for fear that he may not be given another mandate to lead the organization.
That smacks of factionalism in the church.
Parents are alarmed that their children are no longer safe at the school if unconfirmed reports that there was drunkenness, abuse of drugs and sexual abuse of girls are proved to be true. To add on, the school does not need that negative publicity.
The envisaged Gazaland University is a project that UCCZ has to channel its energy on rather than engage in this internecine fight with the head. Equally, Pastor Watson Bundwa must respect authority and ensure that the school rise up the academic quality results ladder. Pomposity and bellicosity never built character. He has to look at himself in the mirror and ask himself whether the mortal combat he is currently engaged in with the church edifies him.
Gazaland University must be the number one priority right now.
My little knowledge of UCCZ tells me there is a moderator within the ranks of UCCZ. What is his job description? He has to read the Riot Act on the two belligerents before the church signs a death warrant resulting in Mt Selinda dying.
It boggles the mind why the church doesn’t want to include some of its sharpest brains to solve the impasse. The sharp witted Professor Madhuku and Professor Pfukwa are some of the people who can be part of a council of elders to open dialogue with the two sides who appear to have dug in without due regard to the students whose sole reason for being there is to learn and not to be abused by the system.
I am not saying the children cannot think on their own. Far from it. It is the timing of the strike that is wrong. Hanzi mbuya yonyangarika, bere rorutsa imvi. Food for thought.
We are in the examination period and more concentration should be on reading books to succeed in the examinations. As we hurtle towards 2016, are our students’ future safe at Mount Selinda High School since the giants are unwilling to give in lest their big egos won’t allow them to. It is not a Bundwa versus Chitombo affair, but a Bundwa against UCCZ affair.
Gentlemen and ladies, clear the mess and allow children to be children.
For now, I rest my case but the soap opera continues. Who benefits from that?
Online Reporter