Isibonelo Esihle, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), is offering free weekend lessons to Ordinary Level learners at Esikhoveni Secondary School to improve the pass rate.
Isibonelo Esihle project manager, Forgive Flames Sibanda, told CITE that the trust was established in January 2020 by community members in Sikhoveni Village, Umzingwane District.
It was a brainchild of the founding trustees, Nkosilathi Zondo and Gertrude Moyo (a couple) who were concerned about the low pass rate at O’ Level. Said Sibanda:
The community voiced concerns about the school’s year-after-year poor performance in ZIMSEC public exams.
This led to the idea of offering weekend boarding from Friday to Sunday on selected weekends, essentially turning the school into a temporary boarding facility.
The weekend classes, which began in 2020, were paused due to COVID-19 but resumed afterwards.
There are no fees for these classes, as the trust at Sikhoveni Secondary School covers all costs for Forms 3 and 4 students. The trust also provides food and other needs.
Sibanda said the pass rate increased from 15% in 2020 to 42% in 2023. He added that some students achieved excellent results with ten A’s and B’s.
However, some learners who passed their O’ Level examinations fail to proceed to A’ Level due to financial constraints. Said Sibanda:
While the trust has helped over 40 students pass, including those retaking exams, many lack financial aid to continue their studies.
It’s disheartening to see them unable to pursue college or A’ Levels due to financial constraints. We haven’t been able to sponsor any students beyond this program.
We often try to connect struggling students with other NGOs, but usually without success.
We have about four students who still can’t proceed, including one who achieved straight A’s and B’s in ten subjects.
We are working on establishing a skills training centre in the Sikhoveni community to provide further training opportunities for these students.
We also encourage other community members, wherever they are in the world, to uplift their communities in similar ways or others.
We believe in expanding our operations throughout the district and eventually reaching the national level someday.
In 2023, the overall pass rate for ZIMSEC O’ Level examinations was 29.41%, up from the 28.96% recorded in 2022.
More: Pindula News