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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The dearth of facilities in some secondary schools in Bayelsa State again came to the fore at the Gbaranowei Grammar School, Okolobiri , Yenagoa Local Government Area, where students wrote exams sitting on bare floor.
The general condition of the school established in 1973 has so deteriorated that two blocks of classrooms had no windows, ceilings and doors.
A visit to the school by the Correspondents Chapel revealed that some of the students in the senior class were in agony during their promotional exams.
In one of the classes, there were not enough seats to round the 100 students giving 20 students no choice but to sit on the bare floor to write their exams.
SSS2B had 11 seats which cannot accommodate the 79 Science students and 35 arts students using the class.
According to investigations the deteriorating of the school became pronounced after the 2012 flood when major facilities including desks and chairs were destroyed.
After many pleas to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to help the school were not attended to, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) contributed money to buy some chairs.
The staff room was no better as there were just eight chairs forcing many of the teachers to stand due to non-availability of chairs
The Gbaranowei Grammar School established in 1973 as a boarding school for both boys and girls has produced eminent Nigerians including Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi and Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ayibaina Duba among others.
Duba in his reaction to the development said the government was aware of the situation and problems the school and other schools are facing and machinery has been put in motion to address the situation.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Education had carried out a NEEDS assessment to determine the particular challenges facing each school in the state.
According to Duba, the state government purchased some furniture recently for schools and expressed shock that Gbaranowei Grammar School did not get any.
