Chinhoyi Diocese school heads convened a meeting to discuss the implementation of the safe schools program, among other issues. Held on 21 November 2025 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Group of Schools in Chinhoyi, the heads looked at ways of establishing school environments where children can blossom without fear of abuse or manipulation.
Schools which are involved in the Safe Schools Program, which include Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Albert’s, Mutondwe and Mahombekombe Primary Schools shared how they were promoting safe schools including campaigns against bullying, workshops for staff, teachers and parents on safeguarding, elimination of corporal punishment, promotion of positive behaviour among learners and teachers, fencing of perimeter boundaries to protect learners, enhancement of cleanliness at schools and discouragement of drug and substance abuse.
Some schools reported on the misuse of online platforms by some students who surf the internet for wrong reasons. The heads called upon parents and teachers to monitor their children’s use of new media technologies to avoid digital abuse. They however applauded safeguarding committees set in schools as a window through which they can understand areas of misconduct at institutions of education.
“Because of the safe schools’ program, learners are confident to handle, deal and report cases of abuse and other forms of vulnerability at the school,” said Mrs. Shumba of Mutondwe Primary School.
The meeting which was attended by the Vicar General Fr. Kenneth Mapanda and the Education Secretary, Fr. Wilberforce Bukuta, shared reports from schools concerning an overview of the Heritage Based Carriculum, enrolment statistics, Catholic ethos and planning for 2026. Some schools, especially those in rural areas registered that some students were no longer interested to learn English language arguing that it was no longer compulsory under the HBC which greatly affects their comprehension of some concepts.
On this, the heads called on parents and teachers to guide learners in the selection of subjects under the new curriculum. Schools were also advised to appraise their teachers on the relevance of HBC to avoid its politicization with some teachers feeling threatened that their subjects were being dropped in the new process.
The schools complemented the feeding program being implemented by the diocese in support of the learners’ education. However, concern was raised that some schools were left out yet they were also in need of food since their children were also affected.
The Education Secretary, Fr. Bukuta paid tribute to the heads for the hard work in advancing Catholic education. He called for cooperation among institutions of education in the diocese. The priest challenged schools to promote sport in schools and to inspire learners to take up other extracurricular activities in line with education 5.0.
He also welcomed the new heads of St. Rupert’s Secondary and Primary Schools respectively, SR. Olivia Bangahwe LCBL and Mrs. Seremana.
The Vicar General, Fr. Kenneth Mapanda avowed that Catholic schools should reflect the Gospel of love and a community where the Gospel is lived. He called all schools to uphold Catholic ethos and holistic education at all time.
