Harare — Mission schools produce the best results at both "O" Level and "A" Level nationwide.

A microscopic look would even show that single sex schools have pass rates above 90 percent in any national examination.

Some may wonder what could the good results be attributed to but quite a number of factors are involved, especially a conducive learning environment.

Statistics for 2004 results show that St Ignatius College had 100 percent pass rate at both O-Level and A-level. Bonda had 98 percent while Marist Nyanga had 98.9 percent pass rate at O-Level.

A student cannot be expected to learn under a disco-like, fashion parade-like, and soccer-like, easy-going atmosphere and still be expected to pass.

For prayer to take place, one engages the prayer mode that is getting to focus and concentrate. So mission schools can be said to be institutions of learning par excellence in prison-like conditions as far as freedom is concerned.

Pundits can argue that the environment is prison-like but who says it needs to be laissez- faire, if the prison-like situation produces good results, so be it. In fact, it has taken some criminals and other people of high standing to further their education while in prison.

Manicaland Province has the highest number of single-sex schools. It boasts of the Catholic-run Marist Brothers' Boys High in Nyanga, St David's Bonda Girls' High (Anglican) which is a powerhouse that has stood the test of time, Monte Casino also girls, Kriste Mambo another girls school (also Catholic). All these excellent institutions offer education up to "A" Level.

Mashonaland East has Bernard Mizeki Boys' College, St Ignatius Boys' College, St Dominic's Girls' High popularly known as Chishawasha. St Ignatius only opens to both sexes at "A" Level with a limited number of girls at Maryward House.

Mashonaland West has Marist Brothers College known as Kutama College. The college has produced professionals in all fields and still holds its place among the revered institutions of learning.

Mashonaland Central has Mazowe Boys' High, a Salvation Army-run school nestled in the Mazowe Valley and has seen engineers, medical doctors, you name any field, the school profile has a name to the roll call. All these are mission-founded schools.

The Midlands Province has an institution par excellence at Regina Mundi and parents with girl children dream of sending them there.

The success of the aforementioned schools could be the little boy-girl interaction. One spends most time preoccupied with academic rather than to look smashing for the opposite sex. One cannot mix love matters and school at once and do all in both fields. One definitely suffers, no wonder single-sex schools excel.

The libraries are well equipped and the student-book ratio is one is to one.

For those in the sciences, the laboratories are fully equipped and teacher turnover is minimal due to attractive remuneration, perks and free accommodation.

With universities having revisited the 1980s era, prospective undergraduates have breathed a sigh of relief on finding their names listed in the local newspapers, the second footing after "A" Level begins.

University life ushers in a complete new life, freedom that can be detrimental. In today's economy a sizeable proportion of degree holders are unemployed as the job market was shrunk by sanctions-induced depression and the global economic crunch. People should therefore not think that a degree is no longer useful, today's standards demand a driver and at times a domestic worker with 5 "O" Levels so a holder of that certificate finds job opportunities near nil.

The job market is more buoyant for a relevant degree holder. Get into the driving seat; secure good results when still at school. School times are the best; they can never be revisited.

Not that I recommend that everyone must be a degree holder, one can still take the skills trade route after "O" Levels by enrolling in motor mechanics, plumbing, beauty therapy and hairdressing and still secure a job. With the skills one can be self-employed but that entails hard and steady constant work. One cannot afford to loaf riding on the back of others like those formally employed and still expect a salary at the end of the month.

One therefore ought not to hold a degree for the sake of having a degree, as some degrees are not in great demand.

There are still many fields that have opportunities galore, e.g. maths, science, medicine, accounting and banking and law are still relevant as they offer employment of choice.

There is value to a degree one holds, with most of the latter one selects a job of choice, say 100 graduate in medicine or law school, they are all taken up by the system as there is a deficit due to the brain drain and employment is guaranteed.

On the single-sex schools' front also offering unparalleled excellence for the wealthy is Peterhouse School for boys in Marondera and the sister school for girls being Springvale also in the vicinity.

Arundel has produced professionals in the fields deemed tough and the domain for males, but the Harare girls' school has broken the barrier. Chisipite Girls is another powerhouse in the education field offering equal opportunities like Arundel and the results speak volumes that single- sex schools do better than mixed schools.

The problem of single-sex schools comes when the young adults have to adapt to real-life situations where people are not grouped by sex in order to excel.

When college life ushers into the once "incarcerated" youths' life, most stumble, as they literally drown in the haze of the newly-found freedom.

A large proportion of females fall pregnant before completing the studies, and out of every five college students who fall pregnant, four are from the single-sex school.

The young men suddenly drown in the new atmosphere were the opposite sex is now part of their community. Fatherhood beckons with one in the first or final year.

That fact aside, single-sex schools still offer the best results for both "O" Levels and "A" Levels. Most students stumbled, failed to garner a pass or even became school dropouts in the normal school set-up.