It never rains for Globe and Phoenix Primary learners

WHILE the reopening of schools to mark the beginning of the 2024 school calendar has brought joy to most school-going children, for Globe and Phoenix Primary learners, the script read differently.

More than 1 300 learners were forced to abandon their school which was constructed more than a century ago when some of their classroom blocks collapsed into an underground mining tunnel dug by illegal miners.

Since March last year when the incident occurred, children have been learning under tents at Russell Primary School grounds where they are camped.

Life has been a nightmare for the children as one problem after the order has become the order of the day at their campsite.

The tents donated by the Civil Protection Unit are regularly blown off by strong winds and Unicef decided to chip in with stronger tents which they are currently using.

The current heavy rains, however, have not been so friendly. While some tents held fort, some were blown off leaving the children scurrying for cover.

Arrangements have since been made that infants from Grade Zero to Grade Four pupils share the classes with their Russell counterparts on a hot sitting arrangement while Grade 5 to 7 learners use the tents.

This week, the news crew visited the camp ground and observed that children struggled to concentrate under difficult conditions as most of them are learning in the open despite the rains.

As it started raining, the children grabbed their books and furniture and scampered for cover in some of the tents, disrupting lessons in the process.

Kuvimba Mining House which took over Globe and Phoenix, donated a piece of land for the construction of a new school.

Plans were that by the beginning of this term, ablution facilities and concrete floors would have been constructed at the new site, but nothing has been done.

Acting Kwekwe Civil Protection Unit chairperson, Mr Reason Machina said the shortage of resources is delaying progress.

“As you know we launched a fundraising towards the construction of the school but we could only raise enough funds to hire a grader to clear the place. So far that is the only thing that has been done and we are stuck due to a shortage of resources,” he said.

Mr Machina confirmed that the situation at the camping site was not conducive for learners.

“The Russell grounds are located on a lower terrain and if it rains it tends to flood. The tents are filled with water and it becomes impossible for learners to learn,” he said.

“We received seven tents from UNICEF, but three of them were affected by the heavy rains and they collapsed leaving six classes with nowhere to learn from.”

Mr Machina said engineers are on the ground trying to resuscitate the tents so that the affected children can have shelter.

“As we speak, a team from the Department of Public Works is on the ground trying to salvage what is left, but as that is happening, the children are in the open. That is how dire the situation is,” he said.

The school, which used to be owned by one of the oldest mines in the world Globe and Phoenix, has since been handed over to Government.

The business community pledged to complement Government efforts in the construction of the school.