The Sunday News
Limpret Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
PARENTS should offer maximum support to the educational needs of their children to ensure they complement teachers in moulding future leaders of the country.
The new education curriculum emphasises on a wholesome approach where it is no longer the duty of the teacher only to educate pupils but parents have to be actively involved.
Speaking during a speech and prize-giving day ceremony at Founders High School in Bulawayo on Friday, Reliance Holdings chief executive officer and Zimbabwe Building Contractors Association president Mr Obert Sibanda, who was the guest of honour said parents should support their children to contribute to their success.
“As parents we have an important role to play in the success of our children, instead of blaming teachers when children fail, we are expected to provide adequate learning materials, pay fees and assist children in their homework. It is important to visit our children’s schools and make sure that we participate in the development of the school,” he said.
Mr Sibanda also praised the Government for the role it was playing in moulding the children.
“I am informed that at the beginning of the year, the Government introduced an updated curriculum which seeks to mould students in the guidance of the philosophy of Ubuntu. This is a Southern African Social philosophy which embodies virtues that celebrate the mutual responsibility, mutual assistance, trust, sharing, unselfishness, self-reliance, caring and respect for others among other ethical values,” said Mr Sibanda.
The headmistress, Mrs Dorothea Moyo, said the school has managed to soldier on despite the challenges.
“Our mission is to offer quality education through a broad, balanced and relevant school curriculum integrated with learning experiences appropriate for the development of a learner who is able to think rationally and critically,” she said.
Mrs Moyo said the school has an enrolment of 1 656 pupils, 82 teachers including four student teachers. She said the school also caters for those with special needs.
“The school is a nerve centre for lifelong continuing education programmes which embraces adults who wish to attain O and A-levels and has an enrolment of 27 adults. This programme has succeeded as there are learners who have excelled and gone to tertiary institutions like teacher’s colleges, training hospitals to train as nurses and polytechnic colleges,” said Mrs Moyo.
She said Founders High like any other school has also embraced the new curriculum as per the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education requirements.
“In accordance with the updated curriculum, there is a wide range of technical subjects under the vocational technical category. This is an appropriate epistemology in education which incorporates the teaching of skills, translating theory into practice thus creating a bridge between the school and the community. This makes education relevant to life, dignifies manual labour while moulding self-reliant individuals,” said Mrs Moyo.
The head also commended the school for its achievements in academics for the past years.
“We have managed to attain excellent pass rates in the past years. Last year we attained 97 percent pass rate at A-level and 52 percent at O-level and we had one learner attaining 15 points. We also contribute significantly to the population of our local universities such as National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, Lupane State University and Great Zimbabwe University.
“The quality of the pass rate that we project at both O-level and A-level are amazing as we got the highest number of distinctions at both district and provincial levels. For the past years, we have seen marked improvements in the quality of results as most of our teachers are studying with the local and international universities. We as Founders aspire to build a complete character in the students that we roll out so that they are able to fit well in the community and job markets out there,” said Mrs Moyo.
