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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Old students of Mbaise Secondary School (MSS) have appealed to the Imo State government to help rebuild their once prominent alma mater towards restoring its lost glory, amid concerns over deteriorating infrastructure.
They said save for the efforts of the old students all the facilities in the school would have totally collapsed due to what they described as poor maintenance and abject abandonment.
Chairman of the Central Planning Committee for the school’s 70th anniversary celebration, Chief Eddy Anyanwu, made the appeal while speaking to journalists on preparations for the forthcoming ceremony.
Anyanwu said repeated visits to the state Ministry of Education to seek government assistance has yielded no positive result. He expressed appreciation to members of the Old Boys Association for their commitment to sustaining the institution despite its infrastructural challenges.
He listed some of the association’s interventions to include the recruitment and payment of teachers, installation of a borehole to provide potable water, refurbishment of the dining hall, and plans to landscape the school premises.
Other projects undertaken by the old boys, according to him, include the renovation of the main block and Ibiam Dormitory, provision of an Information and Communication Technology Centre, construction of perimeter fencing, renovation of the gatehouse and reconstruction of an internal access road.
Anyanwu described the school’s 70th anniversary, also known as its Platinum Jubilee, as more than a celebration, saying it presented an opportunity to mobilise support for the institution’s revitalisation. He expressed concern over the deteriorating state of the school’s facilities and the poor condition of the access road leading to the premises.
The committee chairman appealed to the state government to reconstruct the access road and strengthen security within the school to improve the learning environment. He also disclosed that the anniversary celebration would feature the recognition of distinguished individuals who contributed to the establishment and development of the institution.
Among those to be honoured are the chairman and secretary of the Mbaise County Council, which played a pivotal role in establishing the school, as well as its founding teachers.
In his remarks, Chief Christian Ikwu, the school’s first alumnus to serve as principal, commended the old boys for their dedication to preserving the institution’s legacy.
