Welcome back to Friends of Pakati, where we talk about how we help both Pakati schools, and report on everyday life & education at the Primary & Secondary schools.
Following on from this recent post https://friendsofpakati.com/2026/05/29/local-history-lesson-for-pakati-students/ we asked the school for more information about their trip.
My thanks go to Mr Chadenga, teacher of Maths, and Heritage Studies at Pakati Secondary school, for the images and information provided.
I wanted to find out more about the trip, so here is what Mr Chadenga told me. I first asked him about how the trip fit into the school curriculum:
He said that it is a part of the Heritage Studies course, where learners are taught about Zimbabwe’s pre-colonial history.
“These are some of the (Form 1) learners who were present when we went there. They said that they have heard about it before. They believed that these people occupied our area when they visited the painting site. They also acknowledge the idea of art and drawing was brought about by these people.”
The settlers in the area at the time were considered to be hunter-gatherers, as told to a teacher by the Form 1 student pictured above.
I also enquured about the area in general, and why they chose the particular location they visited:
“.. we toured the nearest mountain with the two Form 1 classes. This was a heritage studies lesson. We went to see rock paintings done by the San people.
They also believed that there were animals like the deer that time from the paintings they saw.”
In the general catchment area of Pakati schools, particularly in the hilly areas, there are at least 3 places where rock paintings can be found, including these at the mountain called Nyakudyara mountain in Chadenga village, Gwangwadza in the Chigwada area, and Mbundire village. There others in the area too I am told, thus confirming the presence of a fairly large settlement in the area dating back at least 1400 years.
Accompanying the students were teachers Mr Chadenga (Maths, Heritage Studies & Combined Science) Ms Musindo (Heritage Studies & Combined Science) plus Mr Ediyeti and Mrs Munaatswa.
Here are some of the 80 Form 1 students who visited the site, discussing what they saw back in the classroom.
As I mentioned in the previous blog, learning is enhanced when it includes ‘hands-on’ experiences. It is clear that these Form 1 students were fully engaged with the history on show within walking distance of the school.
To help us at Friends of Pakati to support the schools learning environment by donating to either http://paypal.me/friendsofpakati or http://gofundme.com/Freinds-of-pakati
Thank youđź‘Ť
