By Staff Reporter
ZAKA – St Joseph Tongoona High School, located a few metres from Jerera Growth
Point in Zaka, has scooped two prestigious awards, one at national level and another at
provincial level, recognising its outstanding academic performance in 2025 .
The school was named the Best Rural Secondary School at Advanced Level nationally,
and also the Best Rural Day School with the highest number of 15 points at Advanced
Level at provincial level.
The awards were organized by by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and
were presented by Vice president Kembo Mohadi.
The school has maintained a 100 percent pass rate at Advanced Level for three
consecutive years 2023, 2024 and 2025 demonstrating a clear pattern of excellence.
School head Mapiye Magara said he was elated by the recognition, which he attributed
to cooperation among learners, teachers, parents and other stakeholders.
“We are proud of the recognition, and that speaks volumes about what we do as a
school. The awards are a result of a combination of measures in place that help us get
better results.
“We have a dedicated staff and well-disciplined learners. We have a supportive SDC
and the parents are always behind our success stories,” said Magara.
He said the school had dedicated members of staff who maintain discipline, and that
was behind the outstanding results that saw the school scooping the two awards, each
coming with a shield, certificate and cash prize.
The school’s senior lady, Norliwe Jange, said St Joseph Tongoona was a model for
discipline, as a palisade fencing ensures that learners are always within the school
premises.
She said being close to a growth point, learners might be tempted to sneak out, but that
was unheard of since anyone who wants to leave requires a pass.
She also highlighted measures in place to protect the girl child to make sure that they
are always in school and that was one of the reasons behind good results.
“Even if a girl is on her monthly periods at school, we have spare uniform to change if
she messes up her clothes. We also have a mattress and painkillers for relief, which
allows girls not to miss any school time because of menstruation,” said Jange.
She added that cases of learners getting pregnant at school were very few, and those
few served as a learning curve for others. The affected girls managed to write their
exams and had time to educate their peers about the dangers of getting pregnant while
still at school.
Deputy Head David Chipezaya said the school was moulding responsible learners, with
no cases of drug abuse, which has become a menace in Zimbabwean schools.
“We are proud of the environment we have created, and these awards are a testament
to the hard work and discipline of our learners and staff,” said Chipezaya
