‘A’ Level learner bitten to death by snake in clas...

‘A’ Level learner bitten to death by snake in classroom

The snake that bit the Rushinga High School student.

Zim Now Writer

In a sad development, a learner at a high school in Rushinga, Mt Darwin, in Mashonaland Central Province was yesterday bitten by a snake in one of the classrooms and unfortunately died within two hours.

A source who spoke to Zim Now but declined to be named said the incident happened at Rushinga High School, a day school in Mt Darwin.

“All the learners were at the sports fields but a few returned earlier, including the now-deceased. The rest of the learners and staff heard screams from the classroom block and rushed to check. The girl, who was doing A Level, was rushed to Rushinga Clinic about 1km away from the school and from there, she was referred to Chimhanda District Hospital where she died. Chimhanda District Hospital is about 20km away,” said the source.

The learner, 17-year-old Melody Chiputura, was staying with her sister at Rushinga Business Centre. Her father, Joseph Chiputura, according to the source, is a local councillor.

Director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Taungana Ndoro expressed shock at the incident, adding:

“We pass our deepest condolences to one of our own,” he said.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe pointed at neglected infrastructure in learning institutions, blaming it for the unfortunate incident.

“Hey!! These classrooms with no proper doors and broken windows!! Tragic!!

“We expect school authorities to make pupil and teacher safety a priority,” said Majongwe.

The learner will be buried tomorrow in the Majika area of Rushinga.