From left…Dr Davison Norupiri, Dr Mike Bimha, founder and proprietor of milestone Molly Mfunya, School ADM Mrs Maribha and students at the ZNCC 2017 Awards
Shingirai Vambe
Milestone Group of Schools has introduced a new approach to learning which focuses not exclusively on the ‘naturally intelligent’ pupils but extends the passion to even the ‘not so bright’ that other schools love to ignore.
Soon after the announcement of grade seven results, parents move from one town to another and from this school to the other in search of form 1 places for their children.
Experience shows that places at most reputable schools are to be secured first by those with 5 units (4 units before the introduction of agriculture as an examinable subject at grade seven). Those who did not perform to that level are regarded as a second option with a narrower chance of securing places.
This is however not the way of doing things at Milestone.
Located in Rusape, 43 km along Nyanga Road, Milestone is a Group A boarding school. Its proprietor is Molly Mfunya who wants to let parents know that their children can do better. She wants to defy the common practice of admitting only the 5 – 6 units cream by accepting those pupils with even 27 units.
This, she says, will be followed by the requisite nurturing of the pupils to produce out of them the desired results.
Mfunya believes every child has a capacity to learn and can do better if he or she is given enough attention and time.
Being a professionally qualified teacher, she believes that children should not be underestimated because each has distinctive potential and capabilities. All teachers at the school are challenged to develop the abilities of every child and to know how to nurture different forms of potential.
The school was registered to offer Zimsec and Cambridge exams from grade seven up to ‘A’ level. ECD classes are also available in the most enabling environment.
The school offers all sporting disciplines to complement the top notch leaning facilities available. This reporter visited the school and found primary pupils competing in a golf tournament at Montclair, fulfilling Mfunya’s desire to mould a child who excels in class, sports or in both.
Milestone Group of Schools is a member of Zimbabwe National Chamber Of Commerce (ZNCC) and Mfunya was recently named business woman of the year 2016 – 2017 first runner up for Manicaland province.
“Don’t hesitate to bring your child to Milestone no matter the results. We will work our hearts out to make sure that he or she produces the results that make you the parent proud. Good results should be a challenge to the teacher.
“Can we really call ourselves good teachers if we take only ‘good’ children? Is it not our job to produce the results we desire out of those who might not be naturally intelligent? Let us measure our capabilities with the number of the so-called slow learners that we help to become successful” said Mfunya.education
