By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, January 9, Mana: Authorities at Kasungu District Council have revealed that Cyclone Chido blew off roofs for hundreds of structures in at least 51 primary schools in the district, a development that has affected teaching and learning.

Chairperson for the council’s Education Service Committee, Gift Nyowani Banda made the revelations on Wednesday during a full council meeting convened to present second quarter progress reports to members.

Banda said the cyclone, which stormed the country mid-December, left teachers in several schools homeless as it blew off roofs for their houses, school blocks, kitchens and toilets and left some structures heavily cracked.

In an interview, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima described the disaster as a serious hit to the ministry.

“We are looking into this to make sure we rectify everything. We have been discussing with the ministry officials to make sure we resolve this quickly.

“The cluster on disaster in the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Department of Disaster Management Affairs is on the ground to make sure that we correct the situation as soon as possible noting that it is rainy season,” Wirima said.

She hailed the efforts of some schools which have started making repairs on their own.

“It is unfortunate that most of our learners will either have to squeeze in classrooms and the school leadership will be laboured to look at alternatives ensuring that teaching and learning is taking place.

“Some schools were proactive and did some repairs on their own but many others did not have that chance so we are hitting the ground running so that our learners are not disadvantaged,” the minister said.

Director of Education and Youths for Kasungu, Joseph Chioza said in an interview that the situation is being managed to ensure that there are no disruptions to teaching and learning.

“Indeed many schools in the district were affected in different categories and magnitudes. But I would single out the case at Kadamsana Primary School at Suza to have been very serious where classroom blocks and seven teachers’ houses were blown off.

“If we are talking of seven teacher’s houses blown off, obviously it means we have serious accommodation challenges as schools have now opened,” Chioza said.

To avoid disruptions to teaching and learning, Chioza said new arrangements have been made in that some learners attend classes in the morning while others go in the afternoon.

“In some cases learners of the same class who were initially split into two have been put back in one classroom, and there is a consideration for examination and foundation classes that they should be attending classes in the morning hours and the rest in the afternoon.

“These are disasters. No one is to blame. Some think the structures were not strong but that’s not the case. We just have to manage the situation, fix everything and be alert all the time,” he said.

Apart from destroying infrastructure, Cyclone Chido killed seven people and affected at least 34 741 people in 20 councils.