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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

GOVERNMENT is implementing the champion head concept in schools as one of the ways of implementing the better schools programme to enhance quality learning and development of learning institutions countrywide.

In Matabeleland North, Chamabondo Primary head Mr Phathugwalo Masuku and Mosi-oa-Tunya High School head Mr Roland Sibanda are the pioneer heads for the Victoria Falls cluster and Hwange district.

The two were recognised at an event where both their schools won the Secretary Merit Award which was presented by Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary Mrs Tumisang Thabela on Thursday in Victoria Falls.

Chamabondo and Mosi-oa-Tunya jointly hosted the Secretary Merit Award, Chamabondo being recognised for excellence in 2018 and Mosi-oa-Tunya for 2017.

The two heads will be torchbearers for their peers and their schools will be models for development of education from cluster level upwards.

“For us the beginning of a champion head begins with winning the merit award. The two schools have offered a curriculum that is true to the competence-based curriculum that is meant to equip learners with 21st century skills and exit profiles, ” said Mrs Thabela.

The concept of champion head covers all areas such as content, how to help learners perform better and teachers to do their best, and others.

“We are focusing mainly on digital literacy as one area so that e-learning becomes entrenched in all our schools and every teacher knows how to use it.

“One of key strategies that the Ministry has had for quite some time is the better schools programme where we say schools should work as clusters of neighbouring schools, help each other through sharing best practices, exchange programmes, training and research, ” said Mrs Thabela.

She said the concept starts with research that is related to the local area to find out about needs of the area.

The champion head then becomes the person who trains schools around the area and helps them to move up their capacity.

The schools, their learners and teachers will eventually be capacitated to move up headed by the champion head.

“A school is as good or as bad as its head. To emphasize the role played by a leader, this year we are beginning to give a token of appreciation to our champion heads who win this award.

As we entrench this concept of champion head who will handhold others and enable them to reach higher standards of performance true to the performance of the better schools programme motto of taking education to greater heights through working together with clusters and peers, ” she added.

Mr Masuku and Mr Sibanda were each given tokens and certificates of appreciation from the Government, tablets, plaque each and prize money of $1,3 million each which doubles as the Secretary Merit Award for use in smart classroom development. – @ncubeleon