Story by Gay Matambo
THE ruling ZANU PF party’s leadership in Mwenezi has mobilised resources for the reconstruction of classroom blocks at Mangondi Primary school in Mwenezi East constituency, which were destroyed by strong winds last Wednesday.
Although no injuries were recorded, the strong winds that were experienced in the area last week blew the roofs off classrooms, leaving close to one hundred learners stranded.
“I was here at the school when the incident occurred, as I was paying school fees for my child. The winds were not strong from the onset, but as time went on, the winds became very strong. Lessons were in progress, such that learners were told to hide under their desks, and the winds blew off the roofs, also leaving the walls cracked,” villager, Ms Agnes Manongore said.
Mangondi Primary School authorities cited the need for the construction of stronger classroom blocks, as similar incidents have been occurring since the establishment of the school in 2001.
“We established this school in 2001, and we were using makeshift buildings as classrooms. We then decided to construct these two classroom blocks with the help of the community, and these structures were constructed, but we knew that they were not permanent because they were constructed using cheap material, hence, there is a need to have permanent structures constructed because this is the second time that we are experiencing this incident,” Mangondi Primary school, Former Headmistress, Ms Seviria Maganga noted.
“We have a challenge, but we are happy that the local leadership has moved in to assist us. However, our plea is that we wish to have permanent classroom blocks at this school so that we do not experience such challenges in future,” Mangondi Primary school, School Development Committee Chairman, Mr Godfrey Machengete added.
The legislator for Mwenezi East constituency, Honourable Sheilla Chikomo, who availed building materials to repair the damaged classroom blocks this Saturday, said efforts were already underway to source more building materials for the construction of stronger classroom blocks which can withstand future harsh weather conditions.
“We are in Ward 14, where an unfortunate incident has occurred. Strong winds blew off the roofs of two classrooms at this school, as you can see. That is why I am here after hearing about this, and we have managed to purchase roofing material to try to fix the roofs. The school was built by the community using their own funds, and due to a lack of finances, the buildings are not up to standard. So we are working on assisting the community to repair the roofs since we are approaching the rainy season, and we want the learners to continue with their lessons while we mobilise resources for permanent, strong structures to be constructed,” she said.
Meanwhile, the government has set aside plans to construct 120 new schools this year through a multi-sectoral approach in line with its commitment to achieving universal access to education under Vision 2030.
