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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

LESSONS have been disturbed at Mbembeswana 1 Primary School in Bubi following a storm that reportedly hit on Sunday and destroyed the roofs of two classroom blocks.

 

Rain ruined textbooks and exercise books worth more than US$2 000 in a library housed at one of the blocks while furniture including desks and chairs were soaked in rain.

Strong winds blew zinc roofing sheets from the classroom blocks onto another block, further destroying asbestos sheets.

 

The school authorities said more than 120 Grade 2C, 5C, and 5D learners were left without classes for lessons and have been crowded in other classes.

The school was built in the 1940s and has seven blocks with an enrolment of 856 pupils.

Matabeleland North Provincial Education director said he had heard about the incident but could not comment on the issue.

The Chronicle was told that on Sunday evening, a storm accompanied by strong winds hit the area causing the damage.

 

“Strong winds swept across the school and blew away the roof of the block that has a classroom and library. The zinc roofing sheets landed on top of another roof and broke asbestos. Books were soaked in rain,” said a source from near the school.

Roof trusses for the three damaged classes were broken.

The incident comes at a time when the school is in the process of building another classroom block which it started in 2016 and renovating other classes.

Lessons for Grades 2C which has 41 learners and 5D and 5C with a combined 86 learners have reportedly been stopped as there is no learning facility for them.

They have been squeezed into other classes which school authorities said has disturbed learning.

The school authorities and school development committee were reportedly assessing the extent of damage with preliminary reports indicating that the damage to the buildings could cost more than US$3 000 while more than US$2 000 worth of books were damaged.