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AS Pupils from various schools report for their third school term today, learners at Mkushi Copper Mine Boarding School in Luano district will have to wait a bit longer as the school was recently vandalised following the disappearance of a grade 12 pupil.
Ministry of Education permanent secretary Chishimba Nkosha said Government has been forced to keep the school closed after school property worth K142,000 was damaged by some members of the community following the disappearance of a 22-year-old pupil.
At a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Nkosha said the pupil of Kapiri Mposhi disappeared in unclear circumstances while at school on April 18, and that there has been no news of him to date.
“As schools open tomorrow [today], we regret to announce that Mkushi boarding school will remain closed because it has been heavily vandalised,” he said.
He said on August 29 this year, information was received that the boy had been found and his family travelled to the school only to establish that the information was false.
“One of the aunts of the pupil undressed and asked one of the male teachers to sleep with her so that the family can have another son,” Mr Nkosha said.
Mr Nkosha said this was on the day that some members of the community ran violent and damaged school property and stole five computers as well as 132 mattresses, 10 of which were recovered.
He said teachers are still being threatened and that they are scared to return to work and most of them have since requested for transfers from the school.
“Some community members were arrested by the police but after being released, they still went back to threaten the teachers,” Mr Nkosha said.
He said Government cannot allow the school to open under such circumstances.
The Ministry of Education will hold a meeting today to discuss how they could raise K142,000 to rehabilitate the vandalised school structure.
Mr Nkosha said his ministry will ensure that the school is opened as soon as possible so that those in examination classes are not disadvantaged.
“We received the report late from the education personnel in the district that the school is in no position to open for third term,” Mr Nkosha said.
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