By Tadiwa Shunje
Catholic run Driefontein High School held its annual prize-giving ceremony on September 18,
using the event to encourage learners and teachers to embrace the heritage-based curriculum
through practical projects and skills development.
The ceremony was attended by parents, District Schools Inspector Jostar Nkomo, Chief
Chirumhanzu, and other education stakeholders.
School head Charles Chivafa said the school’s focus was no longer limited to academic
achievement but also included equipping learners with practical skills that could help them
become self-reliant after leaving school.
“Our theme this year goes something deeper than academics; heritage is our identity,” said
Chivafa.
He said the school was integrating the heritage curriculum with Christian formation through
daily devotion, service and project ministry. Chivafa added that the school currently had projects
in poultry, detergent making, gardening and cattle rearing, with plans to introduce fisheries and
piggery.
“We intend to expand our projects. Currently, we have poultry; we have embarked on detergent
making, gardening and cattle rearing. This year we intend to extend to fisheries and piggery,” he
said.
He said learners were expected to take the practical skills gained at school into their communities
and use them to improve their livelihoods.
“After leaving this school, we expect everyone to spearhead projects that they learnt at this
school. No child leaves here and says he does not know how to keep chickens or do a garden
when he was here for four years,” said Chivafa.
He added that the heritage-based curriculum would help learners survive through practical
projects rather than relying solely on formal employment. Chivafa also celebrated one of the
school’s learners who was invited to attend and participate in the Africa Youth Leadership and
Diplomacy Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from March 26 to 29.
Reverend Rudolf Nyandoro, who was the guest of honor, said the school should ensure that
every learner participated in heritage-based activities while also maintaining Christian values. He
challenged learners to understand the limits of science and artificial intelligence, saying
technology should complement rather than replace human thinking.
“Science has its limits; AI has its limits. It is made by human beings, but it does not replace
human thinking. It should be controlled by us,” said Nyandoro.
He also encouraged learners to value local languages alongside English.
“I hear learners speaking fluent English, but I want to say, let them speak our language. That is
balancing. If we hear Shona, then English, then Ndebele, it shows that there is no place where we
are left behind. Be humble but aim higher,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, DSI Nkomo said teaching was a calling and that every learner had a
talent that needed to be developed through the heritage-based curriculum.
“Teaching is a calling. God created everyone with his or her talent. That is why we did heritage-
based curriculum; with our resources here, a child after school can be able to do carpentry,
farming and other practical work,” said Nkomo.
He said education should not produce learners who could only communicate in English without
having practical skills that could be used to earn a living.
“Each learning area should produce tangible goods or services stated in the heritage-based
curriculum that benefit the community,” he said.
Nkomo challenged learners and teachers to develop techniques and software that could solve
problems in their communities, saying school-based projects were important in developing
problem-solving skills. He said the country needed to move from producing job seekers to
producing job creators and from importing goods to producing them locally.
“We want to commercialise the school. All the goods needed by the community should be found
at school. If we think of good broilers, we should find them at school; dairy cows from school,”
he said.
He also urged parents to support the school’s commercialisation drive by buying products
produced at the school.
SDC Chair Nobuhle Ndlovu said the committee was working to improve the learning
environment and student welfare. She said the school had purchased an interactive board and
was also pursuing the acquisition of a school bus after previously relying on hired buses.
“We also aim to purchase a bus here because it helps a lot at school. We used to hire some school
buses from others. Letters are on the way to the ministry and authorities, and we are waiting for
the response,” said Ndlovu.
She said the school was also developing its practical projects, including renovating layer shelters,
keeping layers, poultry and cattle, establishing a vegetable garden and preparing a fish pond.
Ndlovu said the school had 100 broilers and was preparing to start a piggery project, while the
fish pond was almost complete.
Chivafa said the ceremony had achieved its main purpose of motivating learners through the
support of sponsors.
“We aimed to motivate our children, and we managed to do it through the courtesy of sponsors,”
he said.
He said the school had recorded a slight improvement in its overall performance, moving from
75 percent to 76 percent, but acknowledged that more work was needed to improve the quality of
results.
“Overall, we slightly increased quantitatively from 75 to 76. What we want to improve is the
quality. We hope next year we will improve from where we are now,” Chivafa said.
The ceremony also recognized learners who excelled academically, with Nhamo Rutendo named
the overall best learner in Form One, Vindura Anotidaishe in Form Two, Chipeto Ruvarashe in
Form Three and Mapiye Andile in Form Four.
