The ManicaPost
Freedom Mutanda
Correspondent
AMID the Covid-19 induced lockdown, Tropical Storm Eloise came and added misery to schools in the eastern districts of Manicaland, with Mount Selinda High School suffering damages amounting to US$20 000.
Mt Selinda High School’s Junior Science laboratory, Form 3A classroom, Agriculture block and the girls’ dormitories were extensively damaged by last Saturday’s Tropical Storm Eloise induced rains.
Owing to the wonderful work of Science, weather forecasters can tell the world with certainty that a weather phenomenon will occur on such a date and time and that prepares authorities on what steps to take to edge off the impending disaster.
While every precaution was taken in this case, the administration watched helplessly as it saw years of hard work being destroyed as Tropical Storm Eloise wreaked havoc on the school. At a time when Government has postponed the opening of schools owing to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic whose prevalence is rising at an exponential pace, Mt Selinda High School finds itself in a quandary since its revenue base has dwindled due to the prolonged closure of schools.
Schools generate most of their income from fees paid by learners. Mt Selinda High School headmaster, Mr Phineas Mundeta, said the incident struck a nerve in the administration and because of the economic situation, the school is in financial dire straits, yet when schools are reopened, learning has to continue. This entails a quick fix to the prevailing situation.
“We have been dealt a body blow by the tropical storm as four blocks and the girls’ dormitories were affected. Our financial situation is not on a sound footing.
“Against such a background, the school is appealing to well-wishers, former learners, the business community and other development partners to come on board and help the school in its hour of need.
“We have a Bill of Quantities totalling US$18 425. We are hopeful that with the unity of purpose that has always been the hallmark of the Mt Selinda High School community, we will win this fight against the effects of climate change on our beloved school,’’ said Mr Mundeta.
Last year, the school lost a 5 000-litre tank due to heavy rains again and a group of former students dubbed Team 88 pooled resources and bought the tank.
Chairperson of the steering committee and a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University, Professor Fortune Sibanda, appealed to everyone who has a connection with Mt Selinda High School to assist.
“As Team 88, we brainstormed the idea of coming in to help in our small way. I am appealing to anyone connected with Mt Selinda to come on board and assist. If we contribute $100 per head per stream, it will go a long way in alleviating the suffering the school is currently undergoing,’’ he said.
Cyclones have proved to be a problem to schools. Heads and parents must plan alongside the Ministry of Education to mitigate the effects of climate change on education.
Now that Covid-19 is a menace threatening to do away with the face-to-face interaction between learners and teachers, it is high time that all schools shift to the online platform.
A long serving school administrator, Mr Patrick Femayi, said while parents may resist factoring in the insurance bit into the fees structure, when disaster strikes, it will be ideal to get compensation from the insurance companies without much of a hassle.
He said it may not be a novel idea, but administrators will do well to take that into consideration.
That was echoed by the school’s responsible authority, United Church of Christ president, Dr John Matiza, who said: “With what is happening of late, schools need insurances as adverse weather patterns have become a yearly event.’’
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes are the bane of climate change.
Southern Africa especially Mozambique and Zimbabwe have been at the receiving end of these tropical storms. Hardest hit are schools although the communities lose infrastructure.
A UNICEF senior adviser on climate change, Mr Gauntam Narasimhan, said: “Cycles of poverty can linger for years and limit the capacity of families and communities to adapt to climate change and to reduce the risk of disasters.’’
Schools need to properly plan for any eventuality including the ravages of cyclones which have become familiar phenomena from January to March every year.
Electricity interruption usually occurs with grave results for learners who need to study.
Most activities at school are powered by electricity and it is this utility which is usually affected by cyclones.
Solar panels must be installed at all schools for such an eventuality; safe water and the flush toilet system will not be affected if the solar panels are there for uninterrupted electricity support.
It should be noted that it is in schools that emergency shelter centres are found and if the electricity is running without hiccups, the possibility of outbreaks of diseases is minimised.
In the wake of Cyclone Idai which pulverised most communities in Chimanimani and Chipinge in March 2019, schools had massive shortages of teaching/learning materials, damaged school infrastructure and psycho-social problems and Government and its partners worked very hard to ameliorate the negative consequences of the cyclone.
Schools have to prepare for disasters by deliberately engaging their staff and learners in drills on what to do when any disaster strikes.
If it strikes, schools should have contingency measures to rectify the damage that has been wrought by the weather elements.
A development expert, Mr Wilson Buruwayo, said it is high time most schools adopt e-learning.
“Gone are the days when teachers relied on textbooks. They should use their Information Technology experts for the proper use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for learners not to be left behind after learning materials have been destroyed by natural disasters such as cyclones,’’ Mr Buruwayo said.
