Clash Over School’s 6% Pass Rate in Nkayi

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Villagers in Nkayi are at odds with Vongai Masunda, the headmistress of Mpumelelo High School, accusing her of contributing to the school’s poor 6% pass rate in last year’s Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) exams.

The school, situated in Ward 22, Nkayi South, serves nine villages and five primary schools: Mtshatshane, Katasa, Zenka, Mabayi, and Mdlawuzweni.

The villagers have criticised Masunda for being disrespectful and arrogant when concerns about the school’s performance are raised. Tensions have been further inflamed by Masunda’s Shona background in a predominantly Ndebele-speaking community, with claims that she uses tribal differences as a defence when confronted.

Doreen Sunduza, the School Development Committee (SDC) chairperson, told the Southern Eye that Masunda often makes important decisions without consulting other stakeholders. She said, “She [the school head] sidelines and undermines the SDC. She disrespects the local traditional leadership, labelling them uneducated. Whenever parents air their grievances, she lifts the tribal card and plays victim instead of finding ways to improve the school. The issue went as far as the district office and it was nullified. Then came the 2024 ZIMSEC O’ level examination pass rate hitting its all-time low of 6%, second from bottom in the district.”

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Village head Dumisani Sibanda stated that Masunda’s behaviour towards the villagers, particularly when concerns about the school’s performance are raised, has been dismissive and uncooperative. He said, “She disrespects and undermines the local traditional leadership and community at large. She runs the school like a private entity and does not engage parents, as shown by attendance statistics at school meetings.”

Sibanda further alleged that Masunda told the community she was “untouchable” and threatened to call in anti-riot police if they continued to raise concerns. He added, “We were disrespected and labelled uneducated. We proceeded to the district office and met the district schools inspector identified as Matshazi. He accompanied us back to Mpumelelo and we had a meeting together with the school administration. We had a resolution to change the old SDC committee the following week and also discussed the issue of school fees. Nothing fruitful came out of the meeting as the headmistress threatened to unleash anti-riot police on the people and openly declared that she was untouchable, gloating that whatever we say will not work. All we want is for our school to produce good results, we want service delivery, and we don’t know whether we don’t have the right to demand service delivery as parents.”

Nkayi Community Parliament Speaker Moses Ncube urged authorities to address the issue in the best interest of the students.

Masunda declined to comment, directing Southern Eye to the district schools inspector. Nkayi District Schools Inspector Temba Ndhlovu also refused to comment, saying the issue had not been reported to his office.

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