The Sunday Mail
Wilson Kakurira Recently in Victoria Falls
A GREAT philosopher once remarked:”Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.”
Harvard Junior School and Eastview Nursery School students flew to the majestic tourist town of Victoria Falls. The two trips on September 8 and 15 respectively, addressed an endeavor to expose pupils to air transport as kindergartens learn through themes; hence the transport theme is part of their curriculum.
Speaking to the Sunday Mail Bridge, Harvard Junior School Head Loice Magweba said children come to school every day using road transport but the majority of the children they have at Harvard Junior School and Eastview are not exposed to air transport and that inspired them to give their pupils a date with the tourist destination.
“We organized with a local airliner and we were booked as a group of children. We started With Harvard Junior School on September 8 and Eastview on September 15 respectively. Everything went well and the airline staff was so cooperative and we did not feel that we had a burden of having little children on our way to Victoria Falls.
“Instead of flying outside the country we decided to tour our domestic tourist attractions so that the children have an appreciation of our local resources. These days our grade 7 curriculum is so intense and trips like these are important for these children because they learn through seeing and hearing. When they reach grade 7 they will be reading about things they know about, an experience not many children have in most junior schools,” she said.
Educational trips are always different; they give new experiences and understanding.
Added Magweba:
“This educational trip differs from a holiday tour and we have realized that so many parents might think that if they went to Victoria Falls with their children before then there is no need for them to go on educational trips to the same destinations again.
“Little children are inquisitive. They ask so many questions that their parents cannot even answer but educational trips provide answers because we thrive to educate the student wholly in all facets. There is guidance by teachers who furnish them with correct answers to all their questions.
“In our education system nature and nurture are two key aspects. When I am talking about nature I am talking about the genes from the parents but nurture is about the environment, it is good that you expose these children at such a tender age and now they know that when you want to fly you have to check in, go through the security checks before boarding a plane and they now have confidence in everything.
“Some people may have their first experience of flying at the age of 40 or even 50 which is not good especially in this era we are living in and that is why we saw this trip as a good way of giving our pupils such exposure while they are still young.
“I am elated that the trips to the Victoria Falls were successful but this is not a solo effort. The parents of our pupils are so supportive and are good players in the education of their children, whenever you design something, they cooperate. We cannot do it alone as a school but we need the support of the parents for whatever plan we design to be successful. They know what parental involvement is and they reinforce the parental involvement aspect as the Zimbabwe curriculum advocates for.
“What makes this trip unique is the ‘flying part of it’ ,we had several trips before going to the Harare international airport whereby the children would have an experience of getting inside a plane but this time they flew to Victoria Falls. The children had time to mingle with tourists from all over the world during the educational trip and will carry the word out there to say Zimbabweans appreciate their local resources and we saw children under the age of 6 at the Victoria Falls.
“We faced some minor challenges at the Victoria Falls and I think the relevant ministry should organize in house training on how to receive people. At first we were told to pay an exorbitant fee of USD$4 instead of the 50 cents per child. The fees were so deterrent to an extent that when we lodged our complaint with the head office and they then said that we need to have a permit so that we get the right price.
“The hospitality was not good and I think if this kind of behaviour and attitude is allowed to continue surely it will derail the government’s efforts to promote domestic tourism.
“This is just the beginning for Harvard Junior School and Eastview Nursery School and we will continue to do things differently by giving our pupils extraordinary experiences as they grow up so that they will always be ahead in everything they do at home and at school.”
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