Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
GOVERNMENT has directed that 30 pupils in Mberengwa District who have failed to return to their homes from school since February 22 because of floods must continue living near their schools until they close to ensure their safety.

The Government has supplied the pupils, 23 of whom are living at villages near their school and seven others who are living at another local school, with blankets and food until they return home on April 6 when the first school term ends.

Mberengwa District Administrator Mr White Nkoma told The Chronicle that it was impossible for the pupils to go back home and travel back to school daily due to floods and impassable roads following the destruction of bridges.

He said to underline the risks the pupils face, a village head under Chief Negoma was swept away by floods last week.

Mr Nkoma said Government had “adopted” the pupils temporarily until schools close for the first term.

He said scores of pupils in the district have stopped going to school because of flooded rivers and damaged roads.

Mr Nkoma said seven pupils who had been cut off from their families since February 22 were now housed at Chegato High School. The other 23 who attend Muketi High School had been forced to live at homesteads close to the school.

“The 30 pupils that were cut off from their homesteads are still at their respective high schools. Seven pupils are at Chegato and 23 are at Muketi. The government has ordered that those at Chegato be kept there while those attending school at Muketi and had sought refuge at nearby homesteads be kept there until the end of the first term. It is for their safety because the bridges they cross going to and from school namely Chizungu-Phonex, Zverenje and Chegato-Jeka bridges which are all along Mwenezi River were destroyed,” he said.

“The bridges have seen communities being cut off from schools, clinics and this has resulted in the marooning of pupils from their homesteads. We have seven day scholars who can’t go back to their homesteads because of impassable roads, flooded rivers and bridges that were destroyed. These pupils have not been back to their families since February 22.”

He said alternative routes that may result in children reaching their homes would see them travelling long distances.

“So the best thing is keeping them safe at schools,” he said.

Mr Khoma said Government had chipped in to provide food and blankets for the pupils while away from home.

“Mberengwa received so much rain this time around and whenever there are showers, water levels rise in rivers. Last week a village head Mr Josiah Nyengere Hove was swept away by floods and his body was recovered on March 24. This shows that the rivers are still dangerous especially for school children to cross,” he said.

Because of the impassable roads and destroyed bridges, a Chronicle news crew failed to get to Muketi High School which is in Ward 25 on the border with Mwenezi District.

“As you can see because of the bad roads, it is difficult to travel in these roads. Vehicles easily get stuck in the mud because of wet ground and the bridges are destroyed,” he said.

@pchitumba1

You Might Also Like

Comments