Glen View schools get Secretary’s Merit Award
THE prestigious and most coveted Secretary’s Merit Award which is the highest academic honour conferred to schools that have exuded the highest standards of excellence was this year awarded to Glen View 2 Primary and Secondary schools.
Ironically, the two schools were opened in 1982 and 1984 respectively, made it for the first time in 2016.
Areas adjudicated included effectiveness and implementation of education policies and programmes, demonstration of quality learner exit profiles, effective collaboration with stakeholders, broad and balanced inclusive curriculum, implementation of non-formal education, adequate and well maintained infrastructure, sustainable income generating projects as well as providing an optimal teaching and learning environment.
Interestingly enough, all these traits seemed to be flowing gradually from the primary up to the secondary school as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango remarked, “Zvikomo zvinopanana mhute’ (translated as success is contagious). True, it could not have been said any better,” she said.
“We were at Glen View 2 Primary School just a few meters away from this venue, celebrating the same prestigious award. One is tempted to ask, who copied who?”
Government this year introduced the new curriculum which is encouraging versatility in approach and promotion of both academic and skills training to enable students to attain life skills as well as technological innovations and these schools managed to exhibit both.
Dr Utete-Masango commended the various initiatives being implemented by the said schools in order to achieve the ministry’s goals and objectives as alluded to in the new curriculum.
“We are saying as a learner exits school, they must have a certain skill to enable them to survive rather that begging at traffic lights,” she said.
“Grooming which takes into account dress making is one of the novel areas you can make use of to ensure students exit with skills.
“The thrust of the new curriculum is competence based, therefore products from our current education system should be so equipped with knowledge, skills and competences that enables them to survive and to contribute meaningfully to the development of the country.”
Dr Utete-Masango said there should be a gradual growth in skills from primary to secondary school such that students are natured in their areas of preference and strength.
“Secondary school education is expected to develop and strengthen knowledge and skills gained at primary school level in a progressive manner as enshrined in the new curriculum,” she said.
“In order to guarantee that every learner has a fair opportunity to develop their own talents, Curriculum Framework 2015-2022 deliberately has a wide menu of learning areas and unlike the largely academic curriculum of the past, the new curriculum is designed to appeal to a wider range of talents such as performing arts, visual arts, crafts, STEM, Physical Education and sport.”
The schools have embarked on various projects such as fishery, horticulture, entrepreneurship, technological innovations, music and sport, among others, a clear testimony of the early success of the new curriculum banishing the notion that it is unpalatable and the Permanent secretary acknowledged.
“”I am pleased to note that there are many projects being carried out at this school,” she said.
“I would like to applaud you for taking seriously the curriculum push for the use of ICTs to enhance teaching and learning.
“The school has now has an internet connectivity which is supporting greatly e-learning programmes and this should also help learners to interact with global world and to benefit from e-books.”
Apart from the various innovations and projects being implemented, the two schools encouraged parents to pay their children’s’ levies and with the money, they embarked on various developments.
Glen View 2 Primary School managed to build a two-roomed ECD block for a staggering $25 000 without charging any special levies and likewise Glen View 2 secondary School bought a 60 seater bus at a cost of $70 000.
For their achievement as the best primary and secondary schools across the Harare Metropolitan Province, Glen View 2 Primary and Secondary Schools were awarded a plaque each in lieu of the Secretary’s Bell and FBC Bank donated $10 000 worth of ICT equipment which consisted of forty-five laptops for pupils, a standard projector, interactive board device and a white board to each of the two schools.
Headmaster of Glen View 2 Primary School, Mr Lawrence Madzemure expressed appreciation for the award.
“We are elated and excited and elated that finally we reap the fruits of hard work and as our theme says,” he said.