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Lifestyle Reporter

Zimbabwe has been agog with a lot of pupils that passed with flying colours in the just released Advanced Level students both for Zimsec and Cambridge.

Believe it or not, the country’s solution-based education 5.0 is paying off.

Social media was awash with reports of a Ruya Adventist High School student who had 10 As at advanced level making him probably the first in the country.

This seems to have blind folded many to look at others that performed exceptionally well at both Zimsec and Cambridge examinations.

Most pupils at private colleges are the ones that usually sit for Cambridge and it seems as if they are doing well, casting any doubts to those who question the credibility of local exams.

Various factors can be attributed to the pass rate, but our news crew spoke to learners at the colleges that produced flying colours, including Hillbright Sciences College.

Nokutenda Denga who got As in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, shared his experience.

He said “It does not take a genius to pass, but takes a person with a formula that works.”

“I was truly grateful when I got my results. I almost broke down into tears thinking about people who were supporting me. All the prayers I had before writing exams just thanked God in everything.

“The teachers were very supportive. I would share all my problems with them. They would actually sit and look for a solution to solve my challenges. The teachings really did help,” he said.

Denga who never expected 15 points attributed his success to hard work. He  was expecting a higher grade that would make him easily find a university place.

“I aspire to go into the field of technological power. I see Zimbabwe as having a huge gap in terms of technological power and hoping with the aid of sponsorship I can go to Asian countries that are investing heavily in that sector.

“I remember there was this wise man who said to learn to be the greatest you have to learn from the best. I feel like going to Asia would help me fulfil that,” he said.

Denga said he had a boring social life.

“The only social life I had was with my teachers who would constantly look at papers I wrote and correct my mistakes,” he said.

Girls have ventured  into sciences which were once perceived a mal- dominated field and are now competing at par with their male counterparts.

Among them is Anesuishe Charlotte Mukwacha did the same combination with Denga.

“My year was not so smooth but that was a blessing in disguise. God worked for me more than  I ever thought he could. When I was in my second term my Maths marks were very low, like 30 percent.

“It was hard because we had not finished the syllabus; the only thing we completed was chemistry. The learning environment at Hillbright would make one excel. The staff would encourage us to read,” she said.

Mukwacha was not sure of the results but knew their school would pass.

“Do not procrastinate too much. Do not forget to pray also when learning a topic do so with the rest of the class. Finish, polish that topic,” she said. 

Mukwacha said her social life was balanced since most of the people that she interacted with were also writing exams so they were under the same pressure.

She however, said it was hard balancing studies and applications since she was also managing her new website.

As for Stecy Chirinda who did Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry, it is more like a fairy tale as she did her studies in a few months.

She said her journey was not as easy as everyone else since she enrolled in the second term for upper six which was a very difficult thing because everyone else had completed most of the syllabi.

“I had to have a lot of experience staying every Friday from 1pm to 4pm. I also had to stay for practicals which are a major component for the examinations.

“I had to stay behind during break time instead of going out. I would go into the science lab and have extra one-on-one lessons so I could cope also,” she said.

Chirinda was so overwhelmed to achieve 15 points.

“I did not believe myself that I could not make it that far due to inconveniences I had faced during my lower six studies. At home I would do zoom lessons with a friend. We had a lot of hard work.

“I had my friend Cecilia. She helped me through a lot since she was ahead of everyone in class. For some break time she would help me understand,” she said.

Chirinda said had a normal social life.

“My auntie used to make sure that during weekends we go out for lunch and dinner so as to maintain that balance so that I am not always glued to my books.

“She believed that could also cause some side effects and impact me negatively. I also had to refresh, sometimes she took me out shopping,” she said.

Chirinda is aspiring to do biomedical engineering.

“By becoming a biomedical engineer I can help with making equipment that makes it efficient for people to get adequate resources in the medical sector.

“We could also come up with artificial limbs to help people recovering from injuries. That way I can also impact the medical sector without necessarily becoming a doctor,” she said.

Chirinda said spiritual guidance was also key.

“The learning environment was very conducive since I was at a Christian school. It was not all about learning and also had the church sector which helped stabilize emotions.

“I also needed someone who was going to be guiding me emotionally. Imagine having 20 percent out of 70 percent you would be down,” she said.

Ruvarashe Makoni who sat for Maths Biology Chemistry can be best described as a whiz-kid as she wrote exams while doing lower six.

Makoni says she felt as if it seemed so easy that one was just going to get 15 points.

“It was really a fight, under a lot of pressure trying to make sure that I maintain everything that is going on. The most challenging subject was mathematics and there was a point where I cried so many times that it was terrible,” she said.

“It is possible to have a solid foundation. The more you get deeper into a subject, the more able to maintain those grades. I had a lot of practice in order to get the grades I got. It was tonnes of papers and really breaking through.”

Makoni, howeve,r said she had a boring social life since she literally had no friends to study with.

“I mostly spent time by myself, maybe somedays during lunchtime that is when I would communicate with people.

“Most of the time if I had a free period I could really talk to people. I do have a friend for lessons, not really when studying. I like doing that by myself. I just like doing things by myself. It was a bit lonely, but I say it is worth it,” she said.

Makoni views herself as a futuremedical doctor.

“This is really something that I want to do and it is exciting,” she said.