Source: Comm-Gen Mutamba warns against drug, substance abuse – herald
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba has said there is urgent need for officials at service schools to enhance vigilance in protecting their children from contemporary challenges, especially drug and substance abuse.
The police chief, who was speaking at the 18th Edition of the Commissioner-General of Police Merit Awards held in Harare last Friday, said, “As we celebrate these luminary achievements, we must remain wary of the shadows that threaten our future success,” he said.
“We cannot afford to be complacent. There is an urgent need for our schools to enhance vigilance in protecting our children from contemporary challenges, most notably drug and substance abuse.
“Teachers by their nature are in loco parentis, which means they are in the place of a parent. Beyond imparting knowledge, the teachers stand in a protective relationship towards their students for the better part of the school days in the absence of the respective parents.
“Therefore, when you, as teachers and administrators, stand before a classroom, you do not just stand there as instructors of Mathematics or English. You stand as guardians. You are entrusted with the solemn duty to care for a child’s safety and welfare just as a parent would do.
“Such is an onerous responsibility that merits recognition. This duty extends beyond instruction or pedagogy. It requires you to be observant, to notice behavioural change, to identify the signs of substance abuse, and to act decisively to protect the children in your care. We must create an environment where our learners are safe from negative forces that seek to destroy their potential.”
He also expressed concern over misappropriation of funds as well as an obsession with the acquisition of vehicles and buses by some officials, saying he doesn’t tolerate such activities at ZRP Schools countrywide.
“Let me be unequivocally clear; our schools are not proxy, fleeting and logistics companies,” he said.
“Such acquisitions, when unnecessary, do not add value to the child’s learning experience; they merely increase our liabilities. Instead, our financial resources must be channelled into projects that have a direct bearing on education.
“I want to see investments in ICT-integrated learning, want to see the enhanced capacity of science laboratories, our computer laboratories, and libraries.
“These are the tools that will equip our children for the 21st century. Unlike glossy vehicles that only serve to posture an impression of opulence without direct dividends for the learner. Let’s resist the urge to act extravagantly. I must also emphasise the issue of accountability.”
He said there must be clear accountability and transparency regarding all funds collected and generated by their schools, in strict accordance with the Government Public Finance Management Provisions.
He said every dollar collected as levies must be directed towards its intended purpose, and it was unacceptable for schools to mismanage funds and then transfer the burden back to parents through clandestine and illegal collections.
Comm-Gen Mutamba said in a world grappling with complex challenges, Zimbabwe and Africa by extension cannot afford to rely on borrowed or outsourced solutions.
“We need critical thinking that gives birth to home-grown and organic solutions which are uniquely African,” he said.
“The foundation for that ingenuity is laid in classrooms like ours. By investing in education, we are investing in the very architects of our nation’s future. Indeed, education is not merely the filling of a bucket, but it is igniting a fire.
“For these children we teach are not born empty; they all have sparks of brilliance which the Creator himself has endowed upon them. Our only duty is to serve as patrons of that guided self- discovery path.
“This success, however, is very much similar to our three-legged pot. It rests on the dedication of the learners, the sacrifice of the parents, and the unwavering commitment of the teachers.”
He said in 2025, their Grade Seven candidates achieved a phenomenal 99,31 percent pass rate surpassing their target of 80 percent, set by the Police Education Department.
Comm-Gen Mutamba said the ZRP High School had once again raised the bar, by achieving an exceptional 100 percent pass rate at both Ordinary and Advanced Level.
“Furthermore, I am equally impressed by the significant growth shown by our ZRP Support Unit High School, which jumped from a 76,3 percent pass rate in 2024 to an impressive 87,2 percent last year,” he said.
“These results are not accidental; they are a direct product of a policing culture that demands excellence in everything we do, whether on our patrols or in the classroom.
“This organisation remains fully committed to this path of excellence. We will continue to render the requisite support to both learners and teachers alike to ensure the sustained achievement of such impressive result,” he said.
He said they believed that every child, regardless of their geographical location, deserves world-class education.
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