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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Mat South Bureau Chief

SABIWA Primary School in Gwanda has been named the best learning institution out of over 500 primary schools in Matabeleland South for its outstanding efforts to lay a strong foundation for learners in their early stage of education among other achievements.

The school conducts lessons outside confines of the normal timetable where pupils who struggle to read and write are taught the basics in order to catch up with other learners.

The school received the Matabeleland South Secretary’s Merit Award for the year 2022.

Speaking recently during the award ceremony at Sabiwa Primary School, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela said Government was focused on strengthening foundational learning and schools were expected to come up with strategies.

“In response to the tenets of the Transforming Education Agenda, the Government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry is focusing on strengthening foundational learning, on enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy. A child who cannot read nor compute simple Mathematics will have difficulty in grasping concepts at higher levels of learning,” she said.

“We should ensure that we do it right at the very foundation of learning, the Infant School Module (ECD to Grade 2). Strengthening foundational literacy that encompass the four Rs of Reading, WRiting, ARithmetic and Digital LiteRacy and inculcation of the reading culture amongst our infant pupils will gives a firm foundation in the provision of basic education.”

Mrs Thabela said the Ministry in partnership with Education Development Trust undertakes a research each year on internal assessment, the Zimbabwe Early Learning Assessment (ZELA) that is intended to determine children’s literacy and numeracy levels as they move from Grade 2 and enter Grade 3.

She said this is an intervention that should inform gaps in reading and numeracy levels in early learning and provide recommendations to address the gaps.

Mrs Thabela said the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education also has an initiative of mobile science laboratories for primary schools. She said this is an endeavour to introduce STEM/ STEAM teaching and learning as early as ECD. She said to date 700 primary schools have benefitted from the programme.

Mrs Thabela said Government has also developed the learning passport where pupils can access a variety of learning materials. She said the learning materials will assist pupils in research and also develop skills for self-learning. She urged schools to fully utilise the learning passport facility for the benefit of learners.

“The Ministry is keen on having schools implement the initiative of green and blue schools on issues around climate change. Due to incessant and ever-changing climatic conditions, all staff and pupils are encouraged to be climate ready and put in place mitigatory measures that prevent the effects of disastrous climatic conditions. Schools therefore need to become green through extensive afforestation and blue by supplying sufficient water sources,” she said.

Mrs Thabela said the Secretary’s Merit Award is a quality control and supervisory tool that recognises schools of excellence as models that the rest of the schools in the country can emulate. She said this excellence can be achieved through corroborated effort from pupils, teachers, parents and school administrators.

She applauded Sabiwa Primary for its efforts to fully implement the Competence Based Curriculum through mainstreaming Information and Communication Technology into teaching and learning.

“The acquisition of computers and tablets are indeed a milestone for this school community. The procurement of such ICT gadgets resultantly promotes digital literacy skills in pupils that will give a livelihood to them for survival in adulthood. In that context pupils easily become part of the global village as they research and access information from credible digital platforms,” she said.

Mrs Thabela commended the school for developing its infrastructure and improving its outlook while providing a secure environment for the children and staff. The school has a total of 22 classrooms and recently built a new block that has a computer laboratory and administration offices.

Mrs Thabela said schools had to constantly maintain their infrastructure.
She said Sabiwa Primary school has made significant effort in ensuring effective implementation of the new curriculum.

“Sabiwa Primary School has become a very formidable sporting institution. The school offers a variety of sporting disciplines like ball games, jikinya, athletics and choral music. Such activities assist learners to get an opportunity to develop their fine-motor skills and game techniques.

“The various income generating projects the school runs such as poultry, farming, fishery and horticulture are based on the Competence Based Curriculum which emphasises skills development hence the school is engaged in promoting a number of projects that will instill the concept of marrying theory to practice,” she said.

In 2016 the school attained a pass rate of 87 percent, 70 percent in 2017, and 80 percent in 2018, 72 percent in 2019, 69 percent in 2020 and 86 percent in 2021.

For excelling the school received the headmaster’s tablet and a certificate of excellence, 40 tablets for pupils, projector, electronic interactive board and a laptop. – @DubeMatutu.