The Sunday Mail
Mufakose 2 High School speech and prize giving day guest of honour speech by Mr Maronga who was standing in for Mr Nyambuya, Acting District Schools Inspector
Mr Maronga
Acting District Schools Inspector
The Head of the school, fellow Heads present, Teachers, Parents and Students here gathered, all protocol observed. I would like to begin by thanking you for inviting me to grace this occasion. I feel honoured and privileged to be the Guest of Honour at the Speechand Prize Giving Day of such an excellent school which has made strides not only academically but also in other co-curricular activities.
First of all, congratulations to all of you. You have obviously strived to do your best in order to be a part of this ceremony and I believe that represents the true spirit of scholarship. Of late the Government has been emphasizing on the importance of ICTs in our education system. One may ask what the importance of ICT is in our education system. Well, they are very important and they play a vital role in today’s learning environment.
While textbooks still play an important role in our learning, they are somewhat becoming outdated but you will find out that information on the internet is always up to date as it is updated on a daily basis. Gone are the days when pupils would rely on the teacher’s chalkboard. With the introduction of ICTs, students now have the opportunity to receive unrestricted information. Now I understand this school has the best “O” Level results in the District.
Imagine how much more can be achieved if we all embrace ICTs. To add to the ICTs initiative, the Government of Zimbabwe has introduced the STEM/STEAM initiative. So many people have perhaps been wondering about what this STEM/STEAM initiative is all about. Recently the Government announced that it would be sponsoring fees for those students who would have chosen to do Science subjects at “A” Level. But that’s not what it is all about. STEM stands for: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS / STEAM SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING ARTS MATHEMATICS .
We are living in a world where industrialization is the drive behind most economies. Zimbabwe has suffered major industrial setbacks. As a result, the country has seen a drop in the employment rate. With the introduction of STEM/STEAM, there is hope that the industry will be revived. The STEM/STEAM initiative is one of the best programs to have come out of the education sector in recent years and I urge you all to embrace it.
STEM/STEAM subjects will result in the industrialization of the economy and will also create employment and empower our youths through the promotion of Science and Innovation. Infact STEM/STEAM is the way to go. I would like to congratulate the school, SDC and parents for taking the initiative to construct an “A” Level science laboratory.
I have been made to understand that the school has achieved not only academically but has also made great strides as far as sporting activities are concerned. This is commendable as sport is known to have many physical benefits for example it reduces cardiovascular (Heart) problems. Besides the physical benefits, sport has a whole lot of other benefits.
Also one can make a living out of sport. Imagine what pride the school would have in churning out successful athletes like Usain Bolt. Students, please play your part in sports, cultural or other activities. “BALANCE IS THE KEY TO FUTURE SUCCESS” . Let me also take this opportunity to talk about discipline in schools. We both know discipline is one of the most pressing issues in most urban schools in Zimbabwe, but let me hasten to say that I am very pleased with the level of discipline at Mufakose 2 High School which has been a result of teacher commitment complimented by a functional Prefects Body.
The discipline that one exhibits at school is the same discipline that one will exhibit at the workplace, therefore it is very important that schools take a very important role in instilling discipline in the pupils so that as employers, we do not face problems with our employees. In all the things I have talked about ranging from ICTs, STEM/STEAM, Educational and Sporting excellence at the school. All this can only be successful if the teachers, pupils, parents and all concerned stakeholders work as a team and are committed. Teamwork is very important.
A number of organisations have failed due to lack of teamwork despite having the finest brains. The success of this day is probably as a result of teamwork hence I cannot emphasize more on the importance of teamwork. Finally I would like to thank our teachers who despite the harsh economic conditions have been resilient.
They have done their utmost to help the pupils by encouraging and motivating them to perform at optimum level and achieve good results. Teachers I urge you to continue working hard. Our good Lord will certainly reward your efforts some day. Thank you.
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