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Conrad Mupesa Mashonland West Bureau
THE three Zimbabwean winners of the 2023 SADC essay writing competition for secondary schools have been honoured with the learners getting accolades.
Manicaland Province’s Anesu Tapera from St Faith High School won the first prize while Lawrence Moyo, a 2023 Upper Sixth Form student at Kutama Mission came second with Ruvarashe Sithole from Mutare Girls High School coming third.
The competition saw each country having three outstanding winners who received recognition and prizes.
This comes as the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is on an ambitious drive to push the for acceptance of competence-based education in schools with various institutions now boasting of projects born out of the learning model.
Speaking at Kutama Day High School in Zvimba district yesterday during the prize money handover ceremony to Moyo, Mashonaland West education director, Mr Gabriel Mhuma said Zimbabwe’s industrialisation drive and Vision 2030 were going to be attained if the competence-based education model was intensified in the country.
Youths held the key to Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 as espoused by President Mnangagwa and were supposed to fully embrace the competence-based curriculum currently being rolled-out in primary and secondary schools.
“The national vision which we were given by our President is of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
“Schoolchildren have the potential to participate in the development of this nation. In our ministry, our vision talks of competence driven education for a socially and economically empowered society by 2030.
“We have a product among ourselves from this school, province and nation who has great potential to cause great development in the economy of this nation,” he said.
The student’s essay on how SADC could develop its industry was among the others that were drawn from all the outstanding works of students in the region.
Moyo also passed his Advanced Level examinations with flying colours and is awaiting enrolment at a local university to study crop science.
He told The Herald that he was ready to use his talents for the development of Zimbabwe.
“I am going to study and research more on how our agriculture sector can be improved. Zimbabwe is the bread basket of this region and as the new generation, it is our duty to come up with solutions,” he said.
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education senior researcher, Dr Patrick Ngandini who delivered the prize money of US$300 said Zimbabwe had been a perennial winner of the competition, scooping first prizes for five years.
“The level of our education is that which we want as a nation to industrialise,” he said.
Students needed to participate in the competition for SADC leaders to harness knowledge and thinking from the learners.
His elated maternal grandmother, Ms Florence Jona said her grandson had made the family proud.
Kutama High School headmaster, Mr Issac Mudzingwa said the performance by the learner in the competition was not surprising as he had demonstrated high levels of intelligence and discipline from Form One.
Online Reporter