•CHIFWANI Primary School.
By Austin Kaluba –
Unknown to many Kasama residents, the prestigious mission-run school is built at a location where Chitimukulu once had his chifwani-field at the advent of arrival of Europeans.
Thus the name Chifwani Mission Primary School, a school whose name has royal connections and has somehow lived up to this reputation by maintaining high standards of education.
In the mid-70s and early 80s, the school had a number of white, Asian and children of the Kasama middle class
who attended the school then called Chifwani Primary School.
In 2004, the Misean Cara under the Kasama Diocese took over the running of the school and among several additions to the school built administration offices, a computer laboratory and classrooms.
Now the school that runs from grade one to nine boasts 1,605 pupils mostly girls who outnumber boys by 50 contradicting the concerns of many gender NGOs who complain that girl children are marginalised in accessing education in Zambia.
Being a faith-based school means religious education is compulsory with mass conducted every Friday and a priest visiting the school occasionally to offer spiritual teachings.
The spiritual-centred approach to teaching has borne fruition by instilling spiritual morals in pupils.
Results at the school are remarkable.
Last year, the school scored a 92 per cent pass rate.
“We supply the cream to other equally prestigious secondary schools in the province like St Francis, St Theresa and Lunte Girls in Mporokoso,” boasted the headmaster Mr William Nyondo.
And true to Mr Nyondo’s brag, the teaching standards at Chifwani are very high. Trainee teachers are counselled on what to expect.
“We don’t allow lazy teachers at the school. When student teachers come here, we drill them on our expectations. Those who can cope stay while others who can’t meet our standards leave,” Mr Nyondo said.
This author interviewed Emelda Kombe (not real name) who had gone to Chifwani as a student teacher on her experience.
She told this writer that because of the drilling she had she is now considered among the best teacher at a school where she teaches.
“The expectations were high but ultimately worthwhile because of the teacher I have now become at my new school.
I now feel I can fit in if I went back to Chifwani. At that time I wrongly thought teaching is a simple job,” Mr Nyondo said recently out of 12 student teachers who were assigned to the school, only eight were keen to go back and teach at Chifwani because of the expectation from authorities. As a result of the remarkable results, the relationship
between the school and the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) is amiable.
The school has bought a 29 seater Coaster to ease transportation problems. The bus was recently put to good use when a teacher at the school died in a road accident.
The school also boasts a classroom that teachers children with learning disability, an additional feature to provision of education.
The pupils feature regularly in inter school sports competitions, JETS and NATAAZ festivals.
Currently 15 pupils from the school have been picked to compete in zonal sports competition.
Mr Nyondo said despite the number of successes the school has scored, there were challenges that needed to be addressed.
“The Catholic church would love to offer secondary education at the same place since we have enough land some which we rent out to welders who operate near Luwingu road,” he said.
Chifwani has always been a special school being part of the history of Kasama. From being renowned as an esteemed school, in the early 80’s it also was known for a musical group called Imiti Ikula band.
The youthful band of pupils from the school became a household name in the district giving some challenge to the St Francis brass band at Malole Secondary School.
The band that was remiscent of the Rising Stars of Lusaka performed at several functions like the District Agricultural show, political functions and other public events.
Now the reputation of the school is solely hinged on academic results and the spiritual approach to teaching an aspect that is principally ignored by many schools in the country.
However, one feature that is largely ignored by the Government is that the school has historical significance and
should be turned into a heritage site because this is where the Chitimukulu had a field.
Whatever the chief harvested from the field then is now symbolically being done academically by the authorities who are now harvesting the cream of pupils to continue education to secondary level.
