Motto

"Forward Ever, Backward Never."

Background Information

• Name of the school: Mganwini Primary School.
  The name was derived from a big “Mganwini tree – Amarula tree in English. It is said the tree was used by a Ndebele chief and the elders as shed for resting. The area was also infested with other smaller marula (Mganwini) trees which stretched from West Somerton to Plumtree road right up to the current Mganwini Township.
• Registration Number of the School: 6 603
• Department Number: 3 636
• Station Code: 4 830
• Section Code: 36
• Sub-section: 229

The school was established in September in 1989. The first head of the school was Mr. R. Sithole.

Enrolment and Staffing – At Inception

Staffing at Inception

There were 21 classes at inception of the school. Staffing was as follows:

Enrolment and Staffing – Current Status

Current Staffing

Location of the School

Mganwini Primary School is one of the City Council Schools located at Nketa 8 township in the Western Suburbs, of Bulawayo. The distance from the central Business District is 12 KM. It is located next to Nketa high School.

Curriculum Offered Academic

The school offers all the subjects offered at Primary Schools in Zimbabwe except Shona. The subjects are: Mathematics, English, IsiNdebele, Environmental Science, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education. The School also offers Computer lessons for grades 3 – 7 pupils. There are 10 computers which were donated by the President of Zimbabwe.

Co-curricular Activities</p>

Children participate in several sporting activities offered by the school. These are: Athletics, Football, Netball, Volleyball, Basketball, Quiz and Speech, Drum Majorettes, Traditional Dance, Choral Music, Scouts and Science Exhibits.

Mganwini is also a permaculture school. Permaculture was started in 2001.

Holistic goal for Mganwini Permaculture Programme

To develop a culture that reflects a self-reliant society in terms of food, Primary Health, Communication, Academic achievement and Finance through growing productive plants that are free from Agro chemicals and by recycling resource materials in an environment with maximum ground cover, Irrigation systems, Shelter and protection from forces.

Notes

Primary Health has something to do with Herbal treatment, fresh air and dust free environment.

Recycling resources

• Ploughing back finance
• Selling litter to companies
• Using organic matter for plant nutrients

Unfriendly forces are strong winds, bush fires and thieves.

School Mission and Vision

Mission

Education for the development of a literate, creative and well-disciplined child.

Vision

I see the school developing and becoming a fountain of knowledge that satisfies the intellectual, Social, moral and physical need of the community.

I see it excelling academically and also becoming a center of attraction because of the beauty of its natural Flora that will be promoted by the fulfillment of our Permaculture, goals.

These goals achieved, I see the school becoming a resource centre of learning.

Grade 7 Examination Results Analysis

The results have remained good over the years, which is a positive impact to the school.

Awards Bestowed

Because of the excellent results the school achieved over the years, the school has won several awards in the cluster, district and province.

Under the Better Schools Programme, Mganwini School was awarded certificates for Merit and excellence for several years.

Mayoral Awards

Mayoral awards for academic excellence were also bestowed to the school:

• 1997 grade 7 results for position 3
• 2001 grade 7 results for second position.

Secretary’s Merit Award

The school was awarded the highest award in the education system of Zimbabwe by the Secretary of Education, Sport and Culture. The Secretary’s Merit Award was won in 2005 for being the best school in Bulawayo Province.

Tree Growing and Care Competition

The school won in this competition in 1999 and was awarded a Certificate.

Soccer

In 1996 the school won football in Division 2 at Barboufields Stadium.

Clustering

Academic

Bulawayo Province has 5 districts and Mganwini falls under Imbizo District. Imbizo District has 4 Better School Programme cluster. The school is under Nketa cluster. The resource center for the cluster is at Nketa High School. In all the clusters there are Management Committees running the activities.

Merit awards for academic and sporting activities begin at cluster level to Provincial level.

Sporting

For sporting activities, Zones are used though the districts remain the same. The school falls under Nketa zone for sporting activities.

Composition of Support Staff

All the support staff at the school is employed by the Responsible Authority i.e. the Bulawayo City Council. We have the bursar, senior clerical assistant, caretaker, 2 groundsmen and a messenger.

Roles of the Support Staff

Bursar

• Collects PTA levy and issues invoices and receipts
• Fills in Key 18 forms for collection of fees
• Banks all monies
• Make purchases for all school items – text books, stationery, cleansing materials etc.
• Keeps and maintains commitment registers
• Advises Head on levels of finances of the school
• Supervises non-teaching staff

Senior Clerical Assistant

• Keeps school forms and handouts
• Types, duplicates and dispatches correspondence
• Keeps class registers
• Receives and distributes mail
• Welcomes parents and visitors
• Receives telephone calls
• Keeps the admission register, etc
• Records goods received
• Distributes school materials – exercise books, text books, etc. and keeps records up to date
• Files and retrieves all documents and correspondence

Caretaker

• Keeps buildings and school property secure
• Sees to the cleanliness of all rooms
• Ensures that grounds are cleans
• Assists when called upon by senior staff
• Cleans offices and administration block
• Does minor repairs

Messenger

• Runs errands
• Collects and delivers mail
• Does other jobs delegated to him by his seniors e.g. duplicating, etc.
• Cleans offices and Administration Block
• Rings the bell
• Does any duty assigned by seniors

Groundsman

• Keeps grounds clean and tidy
• Cleans classrooms and ablutions
• Maintains trees, lawns etc.
• Does any duty assigned to him

The support staff is of paramount importance to the day to day running of the school.

• Collection of funds in the school is done by the bursar and this facilitates the easy control of the funds making the school to run efficiently.
• Admission of pupils is administered properly by the senior clerical assistant leaving the teaching staff with the duty of teaching. The senior clerical assistant links well with the professional staff in keeping pupils records. It becomes easy to contact parents with properly kept records.
• The bursar makes orders and procures stationary and other school needs. The needs are known by the professional staff and in taking orders there is communication and good link between the bursar and the professional staff.
• There is a good link between the support staff and the professional staff in basically all sectors, the keeping of classroom keys, keeping the school clean by the grounds men creates a conducive environment towards learning and thus there’s progress in the school.
• The assigning of duties to individuals in this school set up has made the school to achieve what it has achieved in the years. There has been that link necessary between the support staff and the professional staff.

Roles of Council in the Administration of the School

• The Bulawayo City Council is the school’s responsible Authority. Council has helped in its administration
• All the support is employed by the council thus easing a lot of problems to the school is run efficiently with the help of the support staff.
• Council has provided the infra-structure the classrooms and provided the furniture helping the parents.
• Council provided the school with the necessary stationery and all resources in the running of the school.
• Maintenance of Infra-structure and furniture is done by the Responsible authority.

Role of Parent Teacher Associations in the Running of the School

• > The PTA has been there to be a link between the school and the parents. The PTA has done a lot in the maintenance of physical appearance of the school grounds. The school has beautiful grounds with corridors and pavements pared.
• They have provided financial support to the daily running of the school. The Parents also plan and implement developmental projects in the school. The garden activities are greatly supported by parents.

Challenges Faced over the Years in the Running of the School

• Furniture shortages have had a negative impact though some efforts have been made by the PTA to repair the furniture.
• Textbook shortages in the school have continued to affect the learning of children. Pupil textbooks are too high, they need to be reduced
• Stealing of the school fence by thieves has crippled the garden activities in the school. Garden produce used to be sold and funds used to develop the school.
• The school borehole broke down in November 2009 and has not been required. This needs an urgent attention.
• The Economic situation in the country in the past 3 years has not spared us as a school. This has created too much teacher mobility with teachers looking for greener pastures. The school has been affected because good teachers left the school thus reducing our chance of producing good results.
• Most parents have been reluctant in paying fees which has reduced our pace in developing the school.

Projections for the Future

• The school wishes to maintain the above average quantity academic standard.
• The school is working hard in fundraising so as to have funds to repair the broken down borehole. With the borehole functional, the school anticipates having good garden produce thus increasing the financial base.
• The school hopes that the issue of textbooks will be improved in order to improve the academic standard.
• If funds permit, the school wishes to purchase a photocopier to replace the old one.
• Lastly Mganwini Primary school strives to be one of the best schools in Bulawayo Province by providing quality education to the community. We wish to be the centre of learning for the community.

Contacts

Mganwini Primary School
Box 1226
Bulawayo