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Munyaradzi Chamalimba Cool Lifestyle Writer
Tropical cyclone Dineo that struck Zimbabwe has had a negative impact on 74 schools across the country.

The cyclone has badly affected the education sector after the schools had their roofs, walls and other infrastructure destroyed.

Furniture and stationary among other important school materials were also destroyed, leaving pupils with a jeopardised study term.

A day at Maramba Primary School in Chivi district exhibited one of the most disheartening scenarios of the aftermath of the floods.

Pupils carried out their lessons in waterlogged classrooms after roofs were blown away by heavy winds during the storm.

Reading material was destroyed and pupils had to share torn books that had a number of missing pages.

From a distance, classroom blocks at Maramba Primary School look like abandoned structures.

The destruction has affected pupils and they are devastated.

“This is a huge blow as we never had imagined that the rains could be this destructive.

We read in our books about these tropical cyclones and now l have an understanding of destructive nature they can be.

“Our beautiful school has been reduced to a shell with pools of water everywhere,” a pupil, Mazvita Choto said.

A parent, Evelyn Shuro, expressed great concern at the dire situation at the school.

“As a community, we have suffered a heavy blow and we do not know how we are to get proper reading material for our children.

“Most of these children spend much of their time at school and it must be an area that is conducive for their education as it offers the basic foundations of their lives.”

Children in the area have also had traumatic experiences as the floods swept away their homesteads after the Musavezi River burst its banks.

Most families lost livestock and other household property.

Children are the most affected in such a scenario. In times of strife in a family, children suffer the most.

“Parents in our rural settings pay examination fees after selling their livestock and crops.

“Since most of them have been lost to the floods many children might drop out of school and even fail to raise examination fees this year,” said Shuro.

Several bridges were destroyed in Chivi forcing children to use alternative routes to school thereby walking long distances.

Those who have moved to higher grounds have stopped attending school because of distance among other challenges.

“A number of children are actually forced to stay at home because bridges which used to connect areas were destroyed.

It is not safe for school children to try and cross these flooded rivers.”

She said only when measures have been taken to build, at least, some footbridges, even the smaller children can resume classes.

Choto urged villagers and charitable organizations to join hands and rehabilitate some of the infrastructure damaged in the storms.

“This is also the time for old students from different schools in this area to come and assist so that we create a conducive learning environment for our children for they are the future,” she said.