Emmanuel High marks silver jubilee
Emmanuel High School was a culmination of efforts of the Elim Pentecostal Church to help in education provision for disadvantaged communities dating back to colonial Zimbabwe (then called Rhodesia). Elim Pentecostal Church was founded in Katerere, North Nyanga, in the early 1950s by Doctor Cecil and Mary Brien. Cecil was a pharmacist and surgeon while his wife Mary was a physician and anaesthetist.
In 1964 Elim Mission was granted permission to start a secondary school. Arrangements to have teachers and a manager were made. Alan and Anne Renshaw returned to the country for their second term after working in Tanzania. The Renshaws were joined by John and Brenda Thomas.
Brenda worked at the Elim hospital while John was inspector of the Elim Primary Schools. Alan Renshaw was given a task to do the planning of Emmanuel Secondary School. He also supervised the construction of the first classrooms and many other buildings, including the school’s staff houses. The school was then named Emmanuel — which means “God with us”.
Peter Griffiths came from Charpham Elim Church to become the first Headmaster of the school in 1965.
Peter was a determined and committed Christian, and as one observer noted, “with rigid discipline he applied himself to learning Shona and became fluent in it”.
The late 1970s experienced political upheaval which affected many rural people and schools, including Emmanuel. By 1976 the Zimbabwean liberation war engulfed Ruwangwe area and on a daily basis the presence of the Rhodesian forces was visible.
As war escalated in 1977, the missionaries decided to temporarily move Emmanuel secondary to Vumba, 13 miles south of Mutare at the present Vumba Youth Training Centre.
The move to Vumba was necessitated by various reasons, amongst them being the heavily land-mined roads and threats by both Rhodesians and guerillas.
All the missionaries, Emmanuel staff and students left Katerere for Vumba in July. The school had finally relocated to Vumba under the leadership of Philip Evans while Peter and Brenda Griffiths were on temporary leave.
On the face of it, the move to Vumba seemed sensible. However, with hindsight it left the missionaries without backup. In Nyanga the missionaries were known and had some protection but in Vumba they were unknown and strangers and this led to the school closing down in 1978.
In 1981 Emmanuel Secondary reopened at its original place, which is in Ruwangwe.
It opened with 84 Form One students only. Patrick Mukangara who had obtained a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree in England was appointed principal.
In 1983, Pious Munembe returned from Elim Bible College in Capel, England, to lead Emmanuel Secondary until 1988.
The period between 1980 and 1981 saw new teachers (expatriates) coming to teach at Emmanuel. These include Geoff Saunders, Peter Springer and his wife, Janis Edgar, Ruth Jarvis, Hellen Parsons, Brain and Sue Salter, Claire Odling, David Maxwell, Mr and Mrs George (Indians).
Paul Chibisa became the Headmaster from 1989 and 2001. Chibisa was instrumental in bringing the school to its A-Level status in 2000.
Emmanuel High School has continued to grow steadily and has been ranked as one of the best Schools in Zimbabwe offering Advanced Level education.
The school’s academic results and infrastructure is improving yearly despite the numerous challenges being faced.