MILLICENT HUNGWE
Veteran educationist Vincent Maweni’s illustrious 41 year teaching journey has come to an end.
Maweni’s long journey in the teaching profession started at Mkwasine Primary School in 1982 soon after he completed training at Mkoba Teachers College in the Midlands Province capital, Gweru City.
Maweni has worked as teacher all his life producing some of the top brains in the country including Dr Rainos Mutamba now based in Canada and Dr Mukapa who is practicing in Harare.
He was born in 1959 in Munyikwa Village, Gutu District and attended Munyikwa Primary School until grade 6 and completed his grade 7 at Machingambi in Chitsa in 1973.
He continued with his academic journey at Zimuto from 1974 to 1977, where he completed his ‘O’ level studies.
Ironically he did his A levels at Mucheke High School the where he is the current head.
He enrolled at Mkoba Teachers College and completed his course in 1981.
Maweni’s tour of duty began at Mkwasine Primary in Chiredzi where he was joined by three other fresh graduates from the same college making his life easy at the new school.
After three years he went to teach at Chamarare, Zimuto High, M. Hugo and in 1996 he was appointed school head at Mutambwe in Gutu.
In 1998 he was appointed deputy head at Alheit High School in Gutu and in 2001 he was transferred to Ngundu Halt High as deputy head and later Chibi High until 2006 when he briefly joined Madamombe High as head before he went back Chibi in 2007.
He acknowledged that it is more taxing leading a boarding school than a day school.
“It is less laborious to lead a day school than a boarding school. At a boarding school you have to be available 24 hours unlike at a day school where pupils and staff go home. As for me I will never forget the hyperinflation period when I was at Chibi High where we had to apply strict financial management skills especially in 2008 at the height of hyperinflation, life was difficult,” said Maweni.
In 2008 he was appointed head at Temeraire Secondary School in Mashava until 2014 when he joined Mucheke High School.
Like his late father, Andrew Maweni who was a teacher and head at several schools in Gutu Vincent also exhibited leadership qualities at a young age hence it did not take long before he became head of department in subjects that he taught like geography and Mathematics.
Maweni said the secret to success and longevity in the education sector is to know all the statutes that apply to the sector.
“One should know all the rules and regulations that affect the education sector and apply them strictly and life becomes difficult,” said Maweni who is the first born in family of 3 boys and 2 girls.
His mother, Lunitha Maweni was also a teacher.
During his tenure at Mucheke High School, Maweni presided over numerous projects, including the purchase of a school bus, construction of a state-of-the-art perimeter wall, and installation of a borehole and solar power system.
“Thes mark one of my main highlights of my career, the construction of the perimeter wall and to be one of the first schools to have a school bus and I am very proud of the achievements,” quipped Maweni.
As he retires at the age of 65, Maweni reflects on his fulfilling career, expressing gratitude for the opportunities to work with diverse individuals and contribute to the growth of education in Zimbabwe.
“In retirement, I plan to focus on projects at my homestead, utilizing my skills and experience to create a lasting legacy,” he said in his parting shot.
Maweni married his sweetheart while teaching at Chamarare in 1988 and they are blessed with four children, 2 boys and 2 girls as well as two grandchildren.
“I enjoy playing with my grandchildren during my spare time and as I retire I will have more time with them, teaching them what I used to teach the pupils at schools that I taught,” said the soft spoken veteran administrator.
