The genesis of Morning Star Pre-school
2018 graduation day
“ON 14 March 2014 I had a dream. While I was sleeping a voice in a dream instructed me to start a pre-school. After some time I had to heed the call,” says Mrs Sithokozile Zulu, the director of Morning Star Pre-school which is situated at Emganwini, Bulawayo.
She then shared her dream with her sister-in- law Ntombenhle Moyo. Moyo told her that it was an instruction from God and she must heed God’s call and start a pre-school. While she was serving as a human resources officer at Grain Marketing Board (GMB) in 2015, a dark cloud hung over her, leading to the termination of her contract. But she did not lose hope.
“Being a goal getter, I told myself that I have to dedicate most of my time to the establishment of my pre-school. I got a loan from a local bank to buy stationery and furniture,” she said.
She secured a place to rent at Emganwini suburb and her pre-school opened its doors in 2016.
How many kids did she start with? “I started with four children and two teachers. On the second day the number rose to 21. By end of the week we had registered 30 children. At the end of the year we had 37 children in our books,” she said.
Mrs Zulu said the pre-school now has 51 learners. She expressed gratitude to the community of Emganwini and Nketa for their unwavering support.
“I would like to thank the community of Emganwini and Nketa for their support. This pre-school is growing at a fast pace because of their kind support,” she said.
What are the aims of Morning Star?
It aims to mould children to be better people who will contribute positively to their families, communities and the country at large.
The teachers at Morning Star work hand-in-hand with parents as this helps in building a mutual relationship between the child and the teacher. Management of Morning Star
The school is managed by Mrs Zulu. She has more than 15 years in Human Resources management. She is an ECD graduate through Unicef. She also has a Diploma in HIV/ Aids management and counselling. She is a holder of an Advanced Diploma in Theology. She has served in several communitybased care programmes under the banner of the Brethren- in-Christ Church (BICC).
Curriculum
Morning Star is implementing the curriculum set by the Ministry of Education which is biased towards developing a child. These aspects include:
Physical Development — Fine Motor Skills and Gross Moto Skills Cognitive Development — Mind thinking process
Social Development — Children learn about themselves, their relationships to objects and places in their world.
Moral Development — The accepted values and norms about what is viewed as right and wrong by the community in which the child lives
Emotional Development — Development of the child’s emotions, feelings and sense of security about himself/ herself. Feelings and sense of security and self-confidence.
Mrs Zulu has since acquired land to build a learning facility and move away from rented premises. Like any other organisation, Morning Star’s wish is to be a fully-fledged infant school by May 2019.
The school has since acquired a piece of land from the City Council where it has the intention of building an ECD school.
Mrs Zulu said she was appealing for funding and support to build an ECD school. For those who wish to assist they can contact Mrs Zulu on 0775665517 or visit her at the school premises near Emganwini Flea Mlarket.
The learning institution offers a wide range of services, chief among them being computer skills, musical skills and swimming, which other competitors do not offer. The preschool has affordable fees but at the same time not compromising on quality of services offered. The school provides payment plans to reliable parents and also assists parents who are not able to take their children to the pre-school.
The school is registered with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education.
Morning Star Nursery and Preschool contacts: 0775665517/ 0713263623/ 0777932962/ 0782199535
Email: thokozulu2@gmail.com IT was a colourful graduation event that was marked with pomp and fanfare. It was the third graduation ceremony to be hosted since Morning Star Pre-school was established.
The learners sung the national anthem after which Reverend Philani Nyathi of Brethren- In-Christ Church (BICC) Nketa branch gave a short sermon. As part of the graduation ceremony learners displayed what they learnt during the year. The learners showed a high level of understanding of what they learnt as their displays were top-notch.
The director of the pre-school, Mrs Sithokozile Zulu, paid tribute to parents and teachers.
“I would like to thank parents and the community of Bulawayo for their support and donations they offered towards this event. Let me hasten to thank the dedicated team of teachers who have shown a high level of competency in carrying out their duties,” she said.
A parent, Mr Thabani Mlotshwa, thanked the teachers for their dedication.
“The teachers at the school give their all as they carry out their teaching service with a distinction. I transferred my child to this school because she had challenges but after some time she improved and now she got a prize for being the best student in her class,” said Mlotshwa.
It was a marvel to watch learners playing marimba with aplomb which left many parents in awe.
“It was an awesome sight to watch the pupils playing marimba skilfully and I believe that skill would take them far as some could eke out a living from it,” said Mrs Sicelo Moyo.