Hidden in the mountainous marvel of Nyanga’s rural areas is Mount Melleray School a Catholic boarding learning institute that conveys a balance of tradition and innovation, history and aspiration, wisdom and the constant search for new knowledge.
Home to about 4,852 people, Nyanga is a remote town in Zimbabwe that is regarded as a great place of beauty. The town which is home to Mount Nyangani, the highest mountain in Zimbabwe, is a tourist favourite. However due to some shifts in the economy some remote parts of the town have fallen into abject poverty. Many schools in these parts are characterised by high student to textbook ratios as well as falling standards of academic performance due to inability to access quality education materials.
Established in 1949 by the Catholic Diocese of Mutare, Mount Melleray School has embraced Ruzivo Smart Learning to ensure quality education delivery to its pupils and to overcome the limitations of being located in a very remote part of Zimbabwe. Through Ruzivo Smart Learning, this school in Nyanga is living up to its vision to offer “Quality, relevant and total education,” as every student in every grade has access to Ruzivo exercises every week by way of teachers using the platform to reinforce concepts and make their lessons more fascinating and interesting for their learners.
“Ruzivo exercises are really fun and interesting! They are really refreshing,” stated Alicia Mukombedzi student at Mt Melleray School.
To get to the school one has to endure an arduous drive along one of Nyanga’s ungraveled, dusty roads. Upon arrival it is clear how the rustic design of the school buildings suits its rural surroundings. A touch of modernity is evident through the building murals around the school. With the words “My dream, My hope, My aspiration” the brightest mural immediately catches your eyes showing how the school believes in its role in helping its pupils realise their dreams and Ruzivo Smart learning is contributing to this mission in this rural school.
Ruzivo Smart Learning is committed to curbing education exclusion for the rural student so that schools such as Mount Melleray who are in remote places and also have a diverse spectrum of rural students have equal chances of academic success as compared to those in urban private schools. The sustainable, low cost, high quality education model, which is scalable across the nation of Zimbabwe is thus levelling the playing field enabling inclusive and equitable quality education.
Having Ruzivo at Mount Melleray has allowed the school to successfully blend student wellbeing and learning together with technological innovation which are essential for students’ positive and successful engagement with their education. Many of the students expressed how the platform is informing them and inspiring them to work harder in their studies.
“Ruzivo Smart Learning is helping me in my school work and it’s helping me in my pronunciation in other languages such as Ndebele” – Lisa Munyawara- a student at Mt Melleray School.
“I used to fail Content but now it is easy for me because Ruzivo has helped me improve” – Tinevimbo Gwatidzo- a student at Mt Melleray School.
Living up to Higherlife Foundation jingle, with Ruzivo we are going where our future leaders are; be it in the farthest and remotest places, empowering them to see beyond their circumstances and equipping them with quality education through technology to become responsible leaders that address the challenges in Africa.
Without unreasonable doubt the environment at Mount Melleray with its motto “Prayer + Determination + Discipline = Success!” together with Ruzivo’s desire to impact, transform and enhance the education and academic results of millions of learners across Zimbabwe, makes one great combination for a bright future for the school and its students.
Listen to jingle here:
To learn more about Ruzivo please visit: www.ruzivodigitallearning.co.zw
