Herald Reporter
Chikuvire Primary School in Buhera is appealing for $50 000 to repair classroom blocks, administration block and staff quarters that were destroyed by a gale that rocked the area last Sunday.

The school is famed for producing some of the country’s luminaries such as Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba.

Two classroom blocks, including an Early Childhood Development block that was recently electrified, were destroyed by the wind that also left a trail of destruction in the surrounding area.

Four teaching staff quarters, furniture and textbooks were also destroyed.

The school, which has 612 pupils, is now using only six classrooms instead of 14.

When The Herald visited the school yesterday, some of the pupils were learning in the open while parents were helping to clear the rubble.

The school’s deputy headmistress, Mrs Monica Chanyau, said they were appealing for urgent assistance, adding that they had notified the district education office and the department of public works of the disaster.

Mrs Chanyau said they were appealing to well-wishers for assistance.

“The total cost of the property that was destroyed here is $48 700,” she said.

“This is excluding labour of the people who will do the repairs. We are appealing to well-wishers to assist us because even if we ask parents to contribute a dollar that will be insignificant because we may only raise something like $600.

“To ask them to contribute anything as high as $50 will be like burdening them, because they are struggling to have food on their tables as a result of drought.

“At least we are happy that this happened on a Sunday otherwise our pupils and even teachers might have been injured or killed.”

Mrs Chinyau said they were also making efforts to get hold of the local Member of Parliament Cde Oliver Mandipaka to see if he could extend a helping hand.

She said they decided to continue with lessons rather than to close the school as that might inconvenience the pupils and compromise their education.

One of the parents who was at the school yesterday, Mr Nicholas Mafume, said the situation was bad.

“To be honest the situation is really bad,” he said “The pupils are now overcrowded and we are appealing even to our local Member of Parliament (Cde Oliver Mandipaka) to assist us or mobilise resources through donors.

“It is painful because even teachers are now sharing houses and some of them are using makeshift accommodation. Our biggest worry is what will happen if this kind of disaster strikes again before the situation is addressed.”

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