-still maintains top spot
MIDWEEK REPORTER
MASVINGO CITY-Despite failing to attain a 100% pass rate at grade 7 in 2024, ZRP Zimuto Primary is still arguably the best in the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council in Masvingo Province.
Only one boy failed the examinations out of the 96 pupils who set for their 2024 ZIMSEC grade 7 examinations causing the school to score 98.96% for the first time in eight years.
ZRP Zimuto had been scoring 100% pass rate since 2015 and only failed to do so in 2024, but the school authorities are not perturbed by the slip up and promised to do better come end of year.
“It was guaranteed that Zimuto would attain 100% pass rate, unfortunately this time around it was not to be. We are not worried by the slip up as our results are still the best in the province, we scored quality results with 28 of our pupils attaining 6 units,” said the deputy head, Inspector Clarah Mukwacha who was bubbling with joy.
Mukwacha told The Midweek Watch in a wide ranging interview in her busy office that 52 boys and 44 girls set for the 2024 ZIMSEC examinations and of those 16 boys had 6 units while 12 girls had the same number of units.
She said nine boys had 7 units, the same number as girls, five girls had 8 units while four boys had the same number of units.
Four girls had 9 units the same number as boys and five girls as well as five boys had 10 units.
“The results did not just come on a silver platter, but a culmination of hard work by staff, support from the responsible authority who gave their maximum support towards whatever we wanted to do to make the school the best academically in the province and beyond.
“We received maximum cooperation from the parents, as well as the SDC led by Superintendent Mugadza and all our stakeholders and the pupils were impressive with their discipline and hardworking ethics, which contributed largely to what we are seeing today, we are now the school of choice because of our impressive results which is a big challenge on our part,” added Mukwacha.
The 1953 school is headed by Chief Inspector Tichaona Mazadza who joined the institution in 2003 the same time his deputy started.
The two have superintended the transformation of the school from 170 pupils to 710 at the moment as well as the construction of six learning classroom blocks including a state of the art computer lab equipped with laptops and desk tops which are used by all learners.
In 1953 when the school opened its doors there were only two teachers but now there are 36 staff members, a school bus, Toyota GD6, the pass rate rose from between 65% and 75% to 100% and they also managed to buy a Canter truck for use at the school.
They have also drilled a solraised borehole and the classrooms are furnished with one seater desks except one.
“Our intention is to enrol more pupils because the demand for learning places is overwhelming, our main challenge is lack of space to expand, if we fail to get more land we will go vertical to accommodate more pupils.
“We also want to add another bus from the 30 seater Corsa that we already have by acquiring a 75 seater luxury bus,” said Mukwacha.
She added that they also face challenges when parents are transferred.
“As you are aware that in the police force there is a lot movement and if parents are moved they transfer their children as well and sometimes your best pupils are affected and you are left with a gap which may take time to fill and some of the pupils who might join you may take time to jell or acquaint with your learning culture and that affects the quality of our results,” she added.
ZRP Zimuto has also scooped many awards before, with the recent one being the ZRP School of the Year, brushing off competition from schools in big cities like Harare, Bulawayo and other provinces.
They also embark on yearly educational trips to places like Mosi oa Tunya and other tourist attractions in the country and locally.
