Mbizvo Christian Group of Schools come of age

By William Milasi/ Rutendo Manjaraje

In a bid to contribute towards the national human capital development across the country directors of privately owned Mbizvo Christian Group of Schools have taken it upon themselves to construct schools across the country.
According to Sheddy Mbizvo the schools’ director said they have taken it upon themselves to contribute to national development by making contributions in the education sector.
Mbizvo and his wife Regina who is one of the directors in 2016 founded their pioneer school Mbizvo Christian School in Kwekwe’s Mbizo Suburb.
In 2023 they opened their first Secondary School again in Mbizo.
The organization has constructed two other schools a Primary School in Kadoma and a Boarding Secondary School in Zhombe which are going to open their doors to learners next year.
“I feel greatly honoured to address you on this great day and on our school calendar. For Mbizvo Christian Group of Schools, the day will remain to be one of the most memorable days because we are celebrating not only the achievements made by both students and staff at this school, but also the completion of a boarding school in Zhombe and a primary school in Kadoma. The two new schools are scheduled to open in January 2024. Enrolment is already in progress,” he said during the school’s recently held prize giving day ceremony.
The 4th prize giving day ceremony was characterized by pomp and fanfare where learners from the institution were being rewarded not only for academic prowess but in various disciplines such as sports, general cleanliness, discipline and also general improvement in academics.
The logic of such awards according to Mbizvo is informed by a commitment to produce, “morally upright citizens in the country. Through Christian moral values.”
More fundamentally, Mbizvo said his core objective is to spread education across the country.
“As our name implies, we are committed to the production of morally upright citizens in the country, hence the desire to spread our services and primary and secondary levels of education to all corners of our great motherland-Zimbabwe,” he said before adding that, “Whenever we establish schools, we engage the services of high qualified personnel as you might have observed from those who know Mbizvo Christian Primary. Our belief is that quality education is guaranteed when our children are under the mentorship and custody of well trained and highly qualified teachers.”
The prize giving day ceremony running under the theme “The Sky is the limit. Reach for the stars” spoke to every learner and girls dominated during the ceremony, hence unlocking the potential of the girl child who traditionally suffered from marginalization and deprivation and as a word of encouragement to the learners the school’s mantra, “Soaring to the peak,” is aimed at unlocking all of the learner’s potential at the institution.
The event was graced by people from all walks of life including the school sponsors and business partners which included First Pack and Sheer Fashions International (SFI), College Press and Plus one books, the head of the school Mr. F, Madava, the school’s national administrator Mrs. C Mbizvo, office of the District Schools Inspector (DSI-Kwekwe) represented by Mrs. Sidina and Mr. Majoni, and reputable businesspeople.
Mbizvo Christian Group of Schools has indeed come of age.
When it opened its doors to grade one pupils and a number of ECD pupils in 2016-then the institution was manned by two ECD teachers, the then school headmaster and an officer administrator.
The school has since grown in leaps and bounds as currently the school’s enrolment is standing at 321 pupils from ECD A and B to grade seven manned by 17 teachers including the headmaster and the assistant teacher.
In addition, the school this year hosted its pioneer form one class with 22 students.
School headmaster Farai Madava is a happy man.
“All our teaching personnel are highly qualified and experienced,” Madava said.
The infrastructure development at the pioneer school is more exciting for Madava.
“The infrastructures have continued to be developed over the years, thanks to our visionary Directorate. So far, we have a total of seven blocks that have 18 ordinary classrooms with a total capacity of 450. I am grateful to the Directorate who provided for tiling of all classroom floors. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Mbizvo. You deserve more than my thank you because you have recently sunk a borehole within the school grounds. Gone are the days we used to dismiss learners before their normal dismissal time due to water shortages,” he said.
The performance of the school in Zimbabwe National School Examination Council (ZIMSEC) results have been a source of pride for both the authorities and parents.
According to Madava, who is now referred to as the school’s Chief Executive Officer, this was a deliberate school policy to achieve 100% pass rate.
“Last year as the Ministry’s new kid on the block, we set a target at achieving 100% pass rate and we did it. So, we stood among the giants, and we were among the top ten in the district,” he said.
The school’s director Mbizvo said the school is achieving good passes mainly because, “the teacher pupil ratio is low and manageable.”
“We will always make sure that the teacher pupil ratio in our classes is low and manageable-one is to twenty-five. This is so that the students have adequate engagement time with their teachers. Qualitative education of the child is not the effort of the school alone. The home is the seedbed for our product seedlings from a well-prepared seedbed is healthy. Thus, the home and the school should complement each other. I urge our parents to play their part with the urgency it deserves. Timely payment of children’s tuition fees makes your headmaster plan for all the resources that create a rich learning classroom environment,” he said.
The event was, however, not all business and speeches.
Top notch entertainment from the learners characterized the day.
Acts included poems, songs and dance from the ECD up to grade 6 learners all portrayed the importance of education. The entertainers managed to provide the audience with a lively mood as the crowd was all smiles and laughs this was due to the fact that the acts were well polished and vibrantly delivered.
The DSI representative Mrs. Sidina confirmed that of all the schools they had inspected in the district, Mbizvo Christian group of schools proved to be the best. These were her words, “not to downplay other schools but Mbizvo Christian is the best, next to none. Mrs Sidina went on to say, “we are grateful of how Director Mbizvo has aided development by building other schools which are of great standards.”
Learners at Mbizvo Christian School also play hard when it is time to unwind.
“This year our school children went on educational trips to Victoria Falls and Kariba. As Directorate we are planning for trips outside our country so that they have an early life idea of the global village in which they live. I have told you this in advance so that we make thorough preparations in time. We need to consider preparing air fares for the children,” he said.
After the Director’s speech, students were presented with their awards.
The ceremony was actively and enthusiastically executed leaving everyone eagerly waiting for the next prize giving ceremony. This one of a kind of event aimed to empower learners in all their different aspirations and goals. It also intended to show that good deeds pay and you are always recognized for your hard work.