NYIBOKO Primary School pupils at Kisaka Ward in Serengeti District have been left without classrooms after heavy rains damaged the school buildings, local leaders reported.

"This is indeed a big problem. Four classrooms have been badly damaged by rains leaving pupils without places to learn," Kisaka Ward Councillor Mr Donald Toghocho said on Sunday morning. The school administration block and at least one teacher's house were also damaged by the downpour which was accompanied by heavy winds, according to Mr Toghocho.

He appealed for help from well-wishers including leading investors operating in Serengeti and the neighbouring Tarime District to support the reconstruction of the damaged school. "The situation is not good and we are asking our friends like Singita Grumeti Reserves (SGR) to help us in rebuilding the classrooms," he pointed out.

The entire damage is valued at about 60 million according to him. SGR is the leading foreign investor operating in Serengeti District. The company operates luxurious lodges here belonging to Mr Paul Tudor Jones, an American billionaire who has heavily invested in tourism and conservation sectors in Tanzania after falling in love with the Serengeti eco-system in the recent years.

But the remote public school is also located a few kilometres from North Mara Gold Mine which is operated by African Barrick Gold (ABG) in neighbouring Tarime District. Public primary schools in Serengeti Kisaka ward are prone to floods during rain seasons.