Heavy rains destroy school

Fortunate Gora Correspondent
HEAVY rains accompanied by strong winds destroyed property and uprooted trees in Mashonaland West province last week, with the most affected being Banket Primary School where several buildings had their roofs blown away.

A hostel was gutted by fire at Banket Primary School two months ago after a suspected electrical fault. The storm destroyed roofs of the primary school’s hall, bursar’s office and the Grade One classroom block. The pavilion and the swimming pool roofs were also extensively damaged. Banket Primary School headmaster Mr Nelson Nzombe said the incident capped an unforgettable year where the school experienced several mishaps.

“The school has been hit with another disaster again and it is actually a bad year for us. We lost the girls’ hostel in October that was destroyed by fire. Another major disaster has struck again. The School Development Committee has been trying to raise funds to repair the hostel and in the last three weeks work had begun on the hostel roof,” he said.

Mr Nzombe said the girls’ hostel roof, which was now undergoing repairs was not affected by the storm. The fire incident two months ago started about 10 minutes before the schoolchildren’s return from study, resulting in most of them being transferred to Sinoia Primary School. Mr Nzombe said the hostel needed materials to repair the walls, floors, ceiling and windows.

“We need materials to repair the bathrooms, plumbing and electrics which were destroyed during the fire and that needs substantial amounts of money,” he said.

He appealed to well-wishers to assist in repairing the girls’ hostel and the buildings destroyed by the storm last week before schools open next year.