The ManicaPost
Freedom Mutanda Post correspondent
Ayi Kwei Armah, a famous Ghanaian writer, lamented in his celebrated Afro centric epic novel, ‘’Two Thousand Seasons,’’ that some Europeans think that Africa is teeming with a people that has no history; Chikore High School is the first school in Chipinge to open its doors to students who enrolled as Form One students well before Mount Selinda or St Faith’s had secondary education intakes. Therefore, Chikore High School is rooted in education and it is among the leading mission schools in the district and indeed in Zimbabwe.
Brief history of Chikore High School
Chikore Mission is reputedly the second school in colonial Zimbabwe to be established.
In January 1955, after the closure of Alvord Agriculture Institute, Gazaland Secondary was opened at the mission. It was headed by W Dizney with two part time teachers EB Mlambo and C Lord. It was changed to Chikore Secondary School. Oral tradition says it was due to the Big Tree that was cloud shaped when seen from a distance.
A generous $18 000 donation from the Government resulted in major infrastructural expansion and that made it possible for Form three classes to be offered in 1961. A BA and MEd holder, Jonathan Gapara became the first black headmaster of Chikore Secondary School. Among the teaching staff were Meck Major, EB Mlambo, KD Dhliwayo and Solomon Mahaka who was a recent graduate from the University of Rhodesia.
Meck Major assumed the reigns from 1967-1974 and emphasised on education with production.
On August 16 1976, the school suffered closure owing to the large number of students who had crossed over to join the liberation struggle. However, the school opened in the third term as a Government school offering Form One and Two classes.
With the dawn of independence, the UCCZ took over the running of the school to date. In 1991, Chikore High School began Advance-Level classes and Samson Mutsagondo scooped 15 points.
Among notable academics who trace their roots to Chikore High School are Musaemura Zimunya and Professor Rungano Zvobgo. There are many successful people who regard the school as the pillar of their formative years.
Speech and Prize giving Day 2016
Last Saturday but one, the school had its Speech and Prize Giving Day ceremony that was attended by hundreds of parents who came from as far as Kariba, Bulawayo and Harare to witness the deserving students receive prizes due to their exploits in different arenas of education such as academics, sports, leadership, behaviour and smartness.
To crown it all, in the words of the deputy head, Miss Anna Alufanette the day was particularly special in the sense that the school had procured a brand new bus, an all terrain AVM bus owing to the rugged landscape of the area.
‘’Parents, UCCZ, the responsible authority, students and the rest of the people gathered here, today is a special day in that we have a new item which will enhance school activities . . .’’ she did not finish her words since there was a rapturous noise from every corner of the gathering.
Drum majorettes, poems’ recital, traditional dances, drama and the choir entertained the appreciative crowd as the climax neared.
Frederick Bandama, the School Development Committee chairperson, said it was important results speak the loudest at the end of the year in view of the sterling efforts of the administration, teaching staff and the SDC in ensuring that Chikore High School returns to the apex of the list of every parent who wants to send his/her child for secondary education.
‘’As SDC, we worked around the clock to make the school brand be the best in the land. Complement our efforts and pass resoundingly in your O-Level examinations this year. Of course, you have been doing well over the years but I urge to put your best foot forward in order to produce results that speak loudly. We thank the bulk of the parents who steadfastly paid school fees on time thereby making it easy to undertake various projects at the school that led students to make a sustained assault on academic activities,’’ he said.
Mrs Stella Mudiwa, the headmistress thanked the student body for being a disciplined lot. She appreciated the parents who contributed to the bus fund and it was clear they had undertaken an item seeding experience that resulted in a bus coming the school’s way.
‘’Ladies and gentlemen and the students, it is my profound delight to tell you that ‘the bus committee’ ably led by Mr and Mrs Magoro worked day and night; I almost thought we may lose the battle to purchase the vehicle and extend the project to 2017. Our staff members are highly qualified and they will break a leg to produce magnificent results. With the acquisition of the bus, seminars’ participation will improve and the results will bring a smile onto the lips of everyone,’’ she said enthusiastically to a wide applause from the audience.
There are 215 and 201 girls and boys respectively who are boarders at Chikore High School while 69 girls and 75 boys are day scholars to have a total of 560.
17 males and 14 females make up the staff body.
The guest of honour was a former student of the school from 1979-82. He is an architectural designer and he is Donald Tonderai Matiringe. His words of wisdom stemmed from experience and a wild desire to see his former school rise and rise.
“Many years ago I was a student here and it is my heartfelt desire to see it grow from strength to strength. I urge you students to work on your strengths and you will lose little energy if you do so. Every path has its own challenges. It pays to be persistent and focused. It was in October 1893 that Chikore Mission was founded. History records that the first formal and regular school was at Mount Selinda but all the same, Chikore takes the gong as the first secondary school in Chipinge district. Chikore High School belongs to a powerful history in many areas including vocational/ skill related type of education. In that regard, the new curriculum is at home at this institution. Because of that, as a farmer, my family has donated five goats and three sheep to the Agriculture department,’’ he said.
The school has initiated projects at the school that include the banana plantation, poultry, cattle and piggery project and it envisages a time when it will supply eggs for breakfast for its boarding students.
“We have always Stematised our curricular as we have laboratories that cater for the Biology, Chemistry and Physics students. We hope to go in tandem with national goals encapsulated in the Zim-Asset document; thus, the projects we have here aim to produce a complete student,’’ the senior master Sydney Ndangana said.
There is a field which if utilised can create self-sufficiency in terms of food production.
Challenges
Tracey Mbasela, the articulate head girl noted that the road to Chikore is fraught with gravel resulting in some parents unwilling to send their children there. She hopes a tarred road will put a full stop to that challenge.
Silas Matsairere, the senior master said,’’ the library must be expanded and the e-library is modernised. If possible, broadbrand which has a quicker speed ought to be incorporated at the school.’’
The headmistress wants the school to have its own electricity meter and that will go a long way in rationalising electricity bills. She also wants more computers to be purchased for ICT education to be properly conducted.
Last word
It has been a good sixty one years since Gazaland (Chikore) Secondary School was established. As it hurtles towards the century mark, observers note that the seeds for success were planted by W Dizney and the fruits are there to see. Go and scale new heights Chikore!
