Learners at the Okakarara Primary Schools are being taught in tents after their classroom blocks were damaged by heavy wind storms two weeks ago.

This is the situation facing over 650 learners, who will have to brave it out in tents until renovations are done on the damaged classrooms.

According to the school principal, Erastus Martin, 15 tents have been put up on the school premises as a temporary measure to not interrupt learning.

"Indeed, from the beginning, the directorate sent the building inspector, who came to inspect everything, and they declared that our buildings were unfit to be used, and that is the reason why we are in tents today. As I indicated, we have 15 tents here. We have grade 4 with 4 tents, each accommodating about 43 learners in that class, and then in grade 5, there are also four, and they are accommodating a number of 45 learners in each tent. In grade 6, there are three, whereby we have 40 learners, 41–42 learners in each tent, and in grade 7, there are 36 learners in each tent, and there are four of them.

Martin said the teaching staff are trying their best under the circumstances, braving the challenges and dangers of possible injuries to learners in the tent classrooms.

Teachers are to rotate to and from the different tents for lessons, to start on January 29.

A submission to demolish some classrooms and renovate others has since been made. 

In the meantime, the school has suspended its pre-primary classes until further notice.