By Ndinatsei Mavodza
One cannot speak of Nyashanu High School without recalling the devastating fire that engulfed one of its girls’ hostels in June last year, a story that made headlines and left parents shocked and fearing for the safety of their children.
Today, the school has not only recovered but has redefined resilience, transforming tragedy into a catalyst for modernization.
The school head Jackson Dunatuna recounted the sad incident, emphasizing the crucial role of community support in the school’s rapid recovery.
“The hostel that burned housed 102 girls. It was devastating, and thankfully, no lives were lost, though learners lost several belongings. Through immense support from former students, stakeholders, and the Buhera District Rural Council, we were able to rapidly rebuild and revamp it into the modern facility you see now,” said Dunatuna
The reconstruction has been completed at an impressive pace, and in a twist of fate, the disaster forced the school to rebuild in a modern way, ultimately proving to be a blessing.
The new block now offers a safer, more comfortable, and contemporary living environment for learners, ensuring their welfare and enabling them to focus on learning without disruption.
Beyond this flagship project, the school is on an aggressive drive to refurbish other buildings. Both girls’ and boys’ hostels are being upgraded with new tiling, repainting, partitioning, and general renovations.
When TellZim News crew visited the school recently work was in progress with tillers and painters on the ground.
The wave of improvement extends to classrooms, which were undergoing massive renovations. They were being repainted, rebuilt, and having their worn cement floors replaced with new tiles, creating brighter and more comfortable spaces for learning.
The school’s Memorial Library was also being renovated to provide a modern and inviting area for students to read and study.
In a major step toward energy independence, Nyashanu High installed a 48KV solar system in 2024, covering the entire learning and boarding area. Headmaster Dunatuna emphasized the system’s reliability, saying they one could not tell if there was Zesa power or not.
“If you get here, you will not be able to tell if we have grid electricity or not. Our learners have lighting and can use mobile gadgets for Wi-Fi and smart board learning anytime, without interruption from ZESA power cuts,” said Dunatuna.
Beyond infrastructure, the school boasts a vibrant range of extracurricular activities, including quizzes and sports like basketball, soccer, volleyball, and handball.
A look in the school’s trophy cabinet confirms its status as a sporting force. The under-15 soccer team recently competed at the provincial level, reaching the quarterfinals, while two girls from the under-20 volleyball team have been selected for national competitions.
With these ongoing developments and student successes, Nyashanu High is confidently positioned to continue excelling academically and in extracurricular activities, a momentum that will be showcased when it hosts the inter-Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) school’s athletic competitions in 2026.
