Whitestone Primary School (Picture by bulawayomemories.com)Carmel Primary School, Petra and Whitestone are all in the bottom 10 of Bulawayo’s 120 primary schools, according to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s results analysis.
Whitestone Primary School, whose fees are pegged at $1,500 a term, recorded a 15 percent pass rate with Petra Primary School slightly better with 31,80 percent of its pupils successful. Parents sending their children to Petra must part with $1,070 per term.
Carmel Primary School, which charges fees of $1,000 per term, recorded a 35,70 pass rate.
Among the 10 worst performing schools are Hyde Park Primary, Mthombothema, Hope Fountain, Aisleby, Mbuyazwe, Tsetse and Mbonqane.
Mbonqane Primary School in Khami was the worst performer, bringing the rear with a zero percent pass rate – a 12 percent decline from 2013.
Riverside Stimulation Centre, according to Zimsec statistics, is officially the best primary school in Bulawayo Province after recording a 100 percent pass rate – a feat which also saw it share the national number one spot with 39 other schools.
Graded by the number of pupils who sat for the exams, Redcliff Primary School in Kwekwe – with its 152 pupils who excelled – is the best school in the country after achieving a 100 percent pass rate. By comparison, Riverside had 12 pupils writing Grade 7 exams last year.
Bulawayo province recorded an average 85 percent pass rate. Fairview Primary School dropped from pole position to second with a 96,7 percent pass rate.
Centenary Primary School moved from second position last year to third with a 96 percent pass rate followed by Dominican Convent in fourth position with a 95,3 percent pass rate.
Mahatshula – which charges fees of just $61 per term – was fifth with a pass rate of 94,9 percent after 98 pupils sat exams. St Patrick’s, Mackeurtan, Coghlan and Amavene also made it into Bulawayo’s ten best schools.
ZRP Ross Camp Primary went in the wrong direction, shifting from the top three to eighth position with a 94,4 percent pass rate. The school has been consistent by maintaining a high pass rate in past examinations.Masiyephambili, SOS, and Pelandaba dropped out of the Top 10 schools this year although they recorded pass rates of above 90 percent.
Over the years, most privately-run primary schools in Bulawayo have performed dismally in Grade 7 examinations, despite the high charges. The excuse usually touted is that the two languages tested at Grade 7- Shona and Ndebele – are not the languages of choice. They are not spoken at home by the pupils, who typically have well-to-do parents who prefer to speak in English, the status language of the middle classes.
When calculating the pass rate, a pupil is considered to have passed if he or she achieves at least six units or better in all four subjects, and their aggregate mark is 24 units and below. One unit is awarded for an excellent mark, with nine units used to indicate a dismal mark.
Bulawayo Provincial Education Officer, Dan Moyo, said he was impressed by the results although there was room for improvement.
“We’re quite impressed with the Grade 7 results for this year because they show an increase in the number of pupils who passed their examinations,” said Moyo.
The province recorded an improvement in the pass rate from 80 percent pass rate in 2013 to 85 percent recorded in last year’s examinations.
A total of 13,711 pupils sat for the Grade Seven examinations last year.
He said the ministry was engaging the worst performing schools to understand why they were failing to produce good results.
“I’ve been meeting the school heads to try and understand some of the challenges they’re facing regarding their schools’ performances,” said Moyo.
He said some of the worst performing schools were facing challenges that include staff accommodation shortages, forcing some teachers to cover distances of about 25km daily.
“Some of the pupils in these schools are in farming communities. They’re loaded with too much work before and after school and this affects their performances,” said Moyo.
The 2014 national average pass rate was 38,13 percent up from 32,20 percent in 2013.
Zimsec director Esau Nhandara said: “There was a significant improvement in the performance of candidates this year across all subjects. The trend is that female candidates perform better than male candidates across all subjects.” The Chronicle Controversial , Crime , Herald , hmetro , Humiliating , Newsday , schools
