At least 61 pupils at Rusunungoko High School in Goromonzi District, Mashonaland East, lost all their belongings after a fire destroyed their dormitories on Friday night.
The blaze
destroyed two dormitories and the students were only left with the uniforms
they were wearing while essential items,including extra school uniforms, food,
stationery, bedding, and other valuables were destroyed.
The fire
damaged dormitories 19 and 20, displacing Form Two and Form Three pupils, who
are now temporarily housed in the school clinic and common rooms.
The fire broke
out when the learners were attending an evening study session in their classes.
As of
yesterday, the cause of the fire was still unknown, and the school was
appealing for assistance with both short-term needs and the rebuilding of the
dormitories.
School
authorities communicated the crisis to parents and guardians via a late-night
WhatsApp notice.
“Good evening,
parents. On a very sad note, Dormitories 19 & 20 at the boys’ section
caught fire this evening . . . The learners were having a study this evening,”
read statement from the school administration.
“The cause of
the fire is yet to be known at this stage. Dorms 19 & 20 house part of
forms 2 and 3 .Will issue a full comprehensive report in due course.”
The following
morning, SDC chair, Mr Kington Mudondo, sent a WhatsApp notice granting
permission to parents to temporarily take their children home.
“Parents of
affected children are welcome to withdraw their children starting today
(Saturday), and we request that you return them at your earliest convenience to
allow their learning programme to continue.
“Subject to
directorate approval and budgetary consideration, RA is working on a modality
to assist affected learners with items like uniforms, shoes, stationery, books,
blankets, sheets and toiletries. I will give feedback by Monday evening latest
on what sort of assistance they will provide,” reads the notice seen by this
publication.
In an interview
with The Herald yesterday, Mr Mudondo confirmed the incident and said: “It is a
difficult time for us, and it continues to be, considering the two hostels
housed a total of 61 learners, comprising both Form 2 and Form 3 students.”
Mr Mudondo
revealed that the school was able to provide alternative accommodation for all
the affected students.
“We
accommodated about half of them in the school clinic, and another group was
housed in a room we had previously reserved for student accommodation,” he
said.
“We also used
the common room of the Upper Six dormitories. We managed to supply mattresses
for all the affected students.”
The cause of
the fire is yet to be ascertained, though the school suspects an electrical
fault.
Mr Mudondo said a team from Zesa had inspected
the premises.
“We had a team
from Zesa on Saturday, but they could not directly point to an electrical
fault.”
He further
expressed concern regarding the possible cause, noting the school’s previous
precautions.
“As a school,
we had directed that all electric sockets be disconnected in dormitories after
we realised some students were boiling water using electric irons and
elements,” he said.
“That is when
we disconnected the electricity, so we are really worried as to how the fire
started.”
Some of the
parents and guardians collected their children from the school to buy new
uniforms and stationery following the incident.
Among them was
Ms Ruvimbo Gwekwe from Highfield, who described the situation as a major
setback.
“I had to go
and take my son on Saturday because all he was left with were the clothes he
was wearing,” she said.
“I’m pleased
I’ve managed to buy him some school uniforms and food, so I’ll ensure he
returns tomorrow (today).”
However, she
lamented having to buy a full set of uniforms for the final month of the term,
noting her son’s move to Form 3 would render them obsolete.
“My son needs
at least three pairs of uniforms, but he will use them for one month only
because they change uniforms when they move to Form 3. Sadly, some of the notes
he left in the hostel were burnt, but there is nothing we can do.”
The school is a
member of the Zimbabwe Education with Production (Zimfep) schools in
Mashonaland East province.
Zimfep director
Mr Gideon Chiukira expressed shock at the incident, stressing the need for
urgent interventions.
“We are very
sorry for what happened. There is an urgent need to mobilise resources so that
we give shelter to the boys,” he said.
Efforts to get
a comment from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education were fruitless
yesterday as the ministry’s spokesperson’s phone was unreachable.
This latest
event takes place less than a month after a fire gutted the A Level boys’
hostel at Nyatsime College, and another in which two dormitories were destroyed
by another fire at Churchill Boys High. Herald
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