Bee-keeping transforms Buhera school
MUZOKOMBA High School in Buhera has embarked on a massive bee-keeping project as part of its new curriculum.
The school has already achieved the unexpected by affiliating to the continental beekeeping body, the Apimondia.
Apimondia is the umbrella body of the International Federation of Bee-keepers Associations, whose main objective is to facilitate the exchange of information and discussions where beekeepers, scientists, honey-traders, agents for development, technicians and legislators meet to listen, discuss and learn from each other.
The federation has come in board to help the school with guidelines on good bee-keeping practices for sustainable apiculture.
The guidelines provide insights into the different management practices of the various social species of bees and aim to provide useful information and suggestions for making these practices more sustainable, thereby contributing to better production, environment, nutrition, and life.
Following the success story of Muzokomba High School, at least seven other schools in Buhera District have also ventured into apiculture.
The school bee-keeping club chairperson, Mr Jephter Mudongo told The Manica Post this week that the project was a brain child of the new curriculum which emphasises on doing more practical work under the life skills module.
The curriculum framework relates schools to productive sectors of the economy, and by so doing, develops skilled human capital base that ensures sustainable development for the nation.
Mr Mudongo said the bee-keeping project sought to empower the learners through their one-child, one-hive policy.
“In a bid to embrace the life skills enhancing curriculum, the school has embarked on a beekeeping project as a core practical activity. The project seeks to empower pupils by encouraging them to individually own bee hives.
“As a result, we have established at the school an apiary, where bee hives are kept, and in the long run we anticipate that every child will own a beehive. The proceeds from this project will be channelled towards subsiding school fees for the pupils. We have received training from Apimondia on how to make state-of-theart beehives as well as how to harvest quality organic honey. Our beehives cost US$20 when being sold to the local community and other schools around,” said Mr Mudongo.
He said they have engaged the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe to assist them in the establishment of the apiary.
The exhibition and demonstration site also represents a model for teaching, learning, research, pollination and honey on a scale unmatched in the district.
The apiary increases rate of pollination at the school and surrounding areas, and builds the school’s production of honey manifold.
“Since we use timber to make bee hives, we have engaged Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe to assist to plant more trees. Every pupil will plant a tree from those we received from Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe,” he said.
The school deputy head, Mr Davis Charuma said the project is self-sustainable and imparts practical life skills directly to the learners.
“The project’s impart is enduring. The child will not only do this during their tenure at the school, but also in real life. This will help them in the long run as they will be able start their own income generating project after leaving the school,” said Mr Charuma