For
the
past
two
years,
these
children
had
been
learning
in
makeshift
tents
after
the
original
school
was
decommissioned
when
classroom
floors
collapsed
into
a
mineshaft
caused
by
illegal
mining
activities.
The
new
school
was
handed
over
by
Minister
of
Primary
and
Secondary
Education
Torerai
Moyo
during
a
commissioning
ceremony
last
week.
The
facility
was
built
by
The
Church
of
Jesus
Christ
of
Latter-day
Saints.
Minister
Moyo
said
illegal
mining
had
severely
damaged
the
school’s
infrastructure,
culminating
in
the
collapse
of
a
classroom
due
to
ground
destabilisation.
The
incident
affected
1,348
learners
—
698
girls
and
650
boys
—
along
with
45
teachers
(39
women
and
six
men).
In
the
meantime,
the
Civil
Protection
Unit
(CPU)
had
relocated
students
to
Russell
Primary
School,
but
the
temporary
setup
was
far
from
ideal.
Pupils
faced
a
shortage
of
toilets,
harsh
weather,
heavy
dust
and
noise,
and
no
sporting
facilities,
making
learning
extremely
difficult.
Damage
to
furniture
and
textbooks
in
the
insecure
tent
classrooms
further
hampered
education,
and
many
parents
withdrew
their
children,
leading
to
a
noticeable
drop
in
enrolment.
Said
Moyo:
“Recognising
the
urgent
need
for
a
sustainable
solution,
The
Church
of
Jesus
Christ
of
Latter-day
Saints
stepped
in
to
address
these
issues.“They
undertook
the
construction
of
seven
learning
blocks,
an
administrative
block
and
an
ablution
block,
equipping
the
classrooms
with
a
10kVA
solar
system,
600
desks,
600
chairs
and
14
tables
with
chairs
for
teachers.”
Moyo
said
the
new
Globe
and
Phoenix
Primary
School
is
now
ready
to
accommodate
785
learners
—
409
girls
and
376
boys.
The
minister
praised
The
Church
of
Jesus
Christ
of
Latter-day
Saints
for
its
substantial
contributions
to
education
in
Zimbabwe.