by Tawanda Musariri
Diversified financial services group, First Banking Corporations has partnered the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in sponsoring the coveted Secretary's Bell Awards of Excellence.
The group has shopped to the tune of US$500 000, affording excelling schools top of the range ICTs.
Outgoing Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Slyvia Utete-Masango officiated at the handover of 46 laptop computers, a projector and an interactive board to Hurungwe Primary School at Murehwa Growth Point, all sourced by the bank as a corporate social responsibility act.
The school adds its newfound hardware to the 26 desktop computers it already had. The school has a strong 1284 pupils and 41 teachers.
Addressing the well attended ceremony comprising local political and traditional leadership, parents, students and the corporate community, Dr Utete-Masango said, "Hurungwe is among the top nine schools countrywide to win this prestigious award.
"Mashonaland East has three schools that won the Secretary's Bell Merit Awards. These are Robert Mugabe School, Beatrice Primary School and Daramombe High School.”
Hurungwe Primary is the first school to win the prestigious 2017 awards. The school, which was established in 1997 boasts of top of the range facilities, infrastructure and serene environments, all the handiwork of industrious headmaster, Mr Ophias Manyerere.
"I pay tribute to the wonderful work you are doing here at Hurungwe Primary School. The official presentation of the Secretary's Bell Merit Awards is in recognition of the sterling effort that the Mashonaland East education leadership and the school community are doing for the promotion of quality education at this school," said Dr Utete-Masango.
"This is the highest accolade awarded to a deserving school for remarkable achievement in areas that include exhibiting excellence in curriculum development, school infrastructure, learner performance, corporate governance, retention and achievement, curriculum innovation, diversity, life skills, non formal education and level of collaboration with stakeholders, with the community around.
“This is the criteria used by the national teams going round the country to validate what the provinces would have recommended. This is what guides them in coming up with eligible schools for the awards."
Dr Utete-Masango expressed appreciation to FBC for its commitment to upgrade lives through empowering the teacher and learner. She went on to implore school bureaucracies to invest their energies in providing quality teacher accommodation saying a well accommodated teacher is a source of effective learning.
The Education Secretary praised Hurungwe primary as the deserving winner for exuding the highest standards of excellence saying the school showcased the tenets and attributes of an effective school.
Commenting on the new curriculum introduced in 2017, Dr Utete-Masango said, "The curriculum is expected to aid in creating learners with critical thinking, problem solving, team building, innovation, financial literacy, business and financial literacy and participatory citizenship."
Schools that have excelled and won the coveted Secretary's Bell were given an additional responsibility to upgrade neighbouring schools using the experience and competency at their disposal.
