• In many states, infrastructure decay, congestion, lack of teachers hamper primary, secondary education in govt schools
By Tony John, Scholastica Hir, Isaac Job, Stanley Uzoaru, Femi Folaranmi, Okey Sampson, Laide Raheem, Jude Dangwam, Layi Olanrewaju, Jude Chinedu
Outrage greeted the horrible sight of students of Presbyterian Senior Science College, Ididep, Ibiono Ibom, in Akwa Ibom State, being fed with watery substance believed to be soup with swallow.
The boarding students were seen in a recent viral video, agonising as they struggled to eat what should not have been served as food anywhere.
The despicable treatment given to the students attracted a prompt visit of the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet to the school, leading to the immediate suspension of the school principal, Dr. Nse Sunday Umoh.
Following the disgusting incident, the state Ministry of Education has launched an investigation into the state of boarding facilities in the 26 schools with boarding houses across the state including Presbyterian Senior Science College.
But the incident isn’t peculiar to Akwa Ibom State or the Presbyterian Senior Science College. Across many states, public primary and secondary schools, especially in the rural areas, are in dire straits, suffering decrepit facilities, unhealthy learning environment, lack of teachers, and cult activities among pupils.
Public primary and secondary schools across the country, especially those in rural communities are crumbling. While some state governments in many parts of the country make efforts to keep the schools in the urban areas going, the ones in remote council areas are falling below the standard of basic schools.
Investigations carried out by our correspondents across some states indicate that most of the schools lack basic teaching and learning amenities like science laboratories, seats and tables, even for the teachers. In some of the schools visited by Saturday Sun, the number of teachers is not enough for the schools’ population. There are cases of congestion in classrooms. There are also cases where school buildings have collapsed while others have their roofs blown off, leaving learning activities to be conducted under trees.
In some places, there are security challenges leading to teachers and students deserting the schools for fear of terror groups. In some states with more severe security challenges, schools have been taken over by Internally Displaced Persons.
Akwa Ibom: Infrastructure decay, inadequate teachers hamper free education
Collapsed buildings, overgrown weeds and thorns are common sights. The head teacher and two other teachers who teach pupils from primary one to six were at their duty posts. There were no desks for the pupils, so some brought kitchen stools from their mother’s kitchen so that they could have a little comfort while learning. Those who couldn’t bring stools from home sat on the floor.
It was in the thick of the rainy season, and the only building that sheltered the pupils had a leaking roof and flooded classrooms. Some of the pupils perched on windows while the teacher stood helplessly to deliver the lesson. Welcome to Inen Ikot Eteye Primary School in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
At the Seat of Wisdom Secondary School, Ibianga Asakpa, it is a story that touches the heart. Students of the school wrote last year’s Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations with answer scripts soaked by rainwater inside the exam hall. The students were drenched in their uniforms even as the supervisor was forced to change all the exams scripts.
Saturday Sun investigation reveals that the school was one of those the government took over from the Catholic Church last year. But after the change of ownership, there is no sign of government presence at the school.
A community leader, Ambassador Simeon Uwah appreciated the state government for taking over the only secondary school in Ibianga, which was founded through community efforts with the help of the Catholic Church but regretted there has been no intervention project by the government so far.
“Even teachers who were supposed to have been inherited by the government are not captured in government payroll. For more than one year now, they have not received any salary from anywhere,” he said. That is also the case at Primary School, Mbiaso within the same Oruk Anam Local Government Area. The state government adopted free and compulsory education policy from 1999 till date and also spent over N559 million annually as fees for indigenes of the state writing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) in the last 20 years. The situation is even worse at Ikot Akpan Eyo Primary School in Ukanafun Local Government Area of the state where the headmaster is also the class teacher. He teaches all the subjects from primary one to six alone. He has no office, and there are no desks for the pupils who gather under a mango tree for lessons.
Despite the government’s lofty idea on education in the state, it has failed to manage the increased population of pupils and students. In a telephone interview, the state Commissioner for Education said that the government had made remarkable progress in the education sector with its ARISE Agenda.
“We have renovated public primary and secondary schools, employed teachers in the last administration and paid fees for all Akwa Ibom indigenes writing SSCE examinations yearly. We provide teaching aid, desks and even books to students.”
Saturday Sun findings showed that the government concentrates only in schools around the urban areas while public schools in rural communities degenerate, which is why teachers reject transfers to the rural areas.
For instance, Aka Community Secondary Schools and Uyo High School have over 200 teachers while Community Secondary School Inen Ekeffe has only five teachers who teach from JS 1 to SS3 classes.
Rivers: Schools deserted over cult activities
Many of the public primary and secondary schools in some local government areas in Rivers State are in deplorable condition. In Ogoni, many of the schools seem to have been abandoned. For instance, Community Secondary School, Eeken, Government Secondary School, Luawii, Government Secondary School, Kaa, all in Babbe community; Government Secondary School, Lumene Bangha; Community Primary School, Bunu Bangha; Community Primary School, Kere Bangha and Community Primary School, Kpaa all Khana local government Area are overgrown with grasses and trees. In Tai and Gokana Local Government Areas of the state, it is the same story. Community Secondary School, Kira and Community Primary School, Gio in Tai and Community Primary School, Baroko, Gokana LGAs respectively have been abandoned.
Checks by Saturday Sun reveal that cultism is a major reason the schools were abandoned. It was revealed that suspected cultists would forcefully conscript students and pupils, even teachers into their groups. According to an insider, “it is either you obey and join them, or you leave the school.”
Residents of the communities who were approached by our correspondent were afraid to speak out. It was also discovered that any primary or secondary school that is still functioning, had only a few pupils or students. They vehemently craved to speak under anonymity for fear of attack. According to them, most of the people, particularly youths who are behind the abandonment of the schools, live with them in the villages. A former Principal of Government Secondary School Lumene Bangha, in Khana LGA, Elder Kada Pita, said though he is not an indigene of the community, there is a need for quick and adequate rehabilitation. Saturday Sun gathered that members of a dreaded cult gang live in the vicinity of Government Secondary School.
Benue: Internally displaced persons occupy schools
In Benue State, the state government said plans are in motion to commence renovation of public schools. However, Saturday Sun observed that most schools are in bad shape and require immediate attention to enable pupils and students to have access to a conducive learning environment.
Checks around public schools in the state reveal that some of them are in bad shape following several years of inadequate maintenance. It was also observed that some others are in worse condition as they have been homes (camps) for Internally Displaced Persons, (IDP), who ran for safety from their ancestral homes following years of insecurity by killer herdsmen.
In Zone A, especially the Sankara axis which includes Logo, Ukum and Katsina Ala council areas, activities of herdsmen and militia groups have destroyed most schools in the areas while several others have been abandoned. The fear of attacks made it difficult to reach those areas to renovate the schools destroyed during attacks. While some of the public schools have been abandoned, others are being used as IDP camps. For instance, in Anyiin, headquarters of Gaambe Tiev in Logo LGA, most schools have been destroyed. Residents told this reporter that students are learning under the tree as some of the buildings are being occupied by IDPs.
In Zone B, at the RCM Primary School, Daudu in Guma LGA, LGEA Primary School Ortese in Guma, Government Science School Gbajimba among others, students for a long time could not get access to the classrooms as they were being occupied by IDPs while most of the infrastructure has remained dilapidated.
In Agila also in Ado LGA, GSS and the LGEA Primary School are also in a sorry state as the structures were destroyed during the crisis between Ngbo community in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State and Agila Community in Benue State.
Our checks also revealed that the Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, is also in bad shape as most of the classroom buildings are uninhabitable. During the visit, our correspondent observed that some roofs of the classroom blocks have been blown off by wind while others have their ceilings caving in. In Okpokwu LGA, the story is the same as the UBE Junior Secondary school, Amejo in Edumoga District is dilapidated while the students now take lessons under the trees and in uncompleted buildings.
Imo: Erosion cuts off school from community
In Imo State, public primary and secondary schools are facing a number of challenges. Dilapidated structures are yearning for rehabilitation, while lack of equipment in their laboratories, shortage of teachers and low enrollment figures are very common. At Community School, Okpuala, Amakohia in Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, the total number of registered students, according to the head teacher, Mrs. Regina Ofoegbu is 448. However, there are only five teachers in the school. President General of the community, Goddie Ukwu told our correspondent that a deep gully erosion has almost separated the community from the school. The primary school in Umunamu, in Nkwere Local Government Area of the state has a similar case. President General of the community who simply gave his name as Collins lamented shortage of staff and dilapidated buildings. He blamed the condition of the school on politicians who he said have turned their eyes away from the education sector.
“It pains me to say these things, I was a teacher and I know what I’m saying. Go to our schools; how many teachers are there? Go and see the leaking roofs. All these could be attended to, if adequate attention is paid to the sector,” he lamented. Also primary and secondary schools in Ndegwu community in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State are no exceptions. The buildings are dilapidated. Community Primary School Ndegwu has been taken over by weeds while the remnants of the roofs of school buildings have been vandalised. Its secondary school situated 400 metres away from the primary school has similar problems, especially shortage of staff. Students bring seats and tables from homes and also go back with them at the close of school.
Abia: WAEC delists school for lack of qualified teachers, poor laboratory
In Abia State, many parents prefer to enrol their children/wards in private primary and secondary schools. This is despite the fact that public schools have more qualified teachers. At Amachi Primary School, Umuhu Ezechi in Bende Local Government Area of the state, the school is nowhere near a conducive place for teaching and learning. With one of the classroom blocks de-roofed, pupils stay under the scorching sun to learn during the dry season.
Natives of the place said they allow their children to still attend school there because there is no private school within the community to send their children to.
Chima Okorie said: “We built the primary school in the mid 1970s and handed it over to the government, but they have not done anything since then to make the school look good.
“One of the classroom blocks was de-roofed some months back and it has not been repaired. The only reason our children are still attending the school is because we have no choice.” But there is hope for the people as another native, Kalu Eke said the Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, a former two-term governor of the state, has put measures in place to renovate the school. The story is the same with the nearby Amazu, Umuhu Ezechi Secondary School. Said to have been established through communal effort in the early 1980s and equally handed over to the state government, the school is now a shadow of itself.
A teacher in the school who gave his name as Fredrick, said lack of qualified teachers and laboratories made WAEC to delist the school from being a centre for its examinations. He said the twin problems have affected the school to the point that people from the area look elsewhere for their children to go to school. The story is the same at Umuokwe Community Primary School. The community people lament that apart from the dilapidated structures in the school, there is also shortage of teachers.
“If we had a private school in the area, I don’t think anybody in the community would allow his children to attend such a school,” said Okoro Kalu.
In Umuahia, the state capital and Aba, the commercial city the situation is not entirely different, but some parents prefer to send their children to private schools in those urban areas. At Constitution Crescent Primary School in Aba which could be described as one of the best public schools in the city, there are abandoned and dilapidated classroom blocks. Although some of the buildings in the school premises are in good condition, they lack basic teaching material. A teacher in the school blamed the dilapidation of school building, lack of teaching materials and poor administrative system in public schools for parents’ choice of private schools.
Ogun: Crowded classrooms, indiscipline worry teachers
In Ogun State, some public primary and secondary schools are begging for attention from the state government in terms of provision of infrastructure and conducive learning environment. Though the majority of the schools have been significantly improved upon since the coming of the current administration, via various interventions, more efforts need to be made to ensure the total overhaul of public primary and secondary schools in the state.
Saturday Sun observed that flagship schools in the state such as Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Baptist Boys High School (BBHS), Saje, Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode Grammar School, Ijebu Ode and Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, still boast of good infrastructure such as classrooms, laboratories, dormitories and others, even though there is still room for improvement.
Meanwhile, some of the schools established in the late 1970s and early 80s by the state government to cater for the growing number of students require infrastructure upgrade, expansion and adequate number of teachers.
At Owiwi Nursery and Primary School, Obada-Oko in Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state, a block of classrooms is begging for re-roofing while others require renovation. The perimeter fence of the school which has no gate has partially crumbled. The school has an expansive football field which offers pupils enough space for recreation and sporting activities, but the lack of a perimeter fence and gate, has given unfettered access to the people in the locality who now use the school field for their social functions almost every weekend.
A teacher, who spoke to Saturday Sun bemoaned the dilapidated condition of the classroom’s roof, which according to her, is dangerous for the pupils.
At Adeoye Lambo High School, Obada-Oko, the story is more pathetic. Apart from the crowding of classrooms, the level of indiscipline in the school is at an alarming level. When Saturday Sun visited the school, several students were seen loitering outside the school.
The secondary school which was founded in the early 1980s as a community school now lacks basic infrastructure and facilities. Although a block of classrooms built under the UBEC/SUBEB 2017 Project was sighted in the school, it is a far cry from the infrastructure required in the school. One of the teachers in the school told our correspondent that there are no fewer than 100 students in a particular classroom, a situation which has made it difficult for teachers to teach properly.
Plateau: 3 teachers to 186 students, one teacher takes more than one class
Some communities in Plateau State have decried the deplorable condition of some infrastructure across some public schools in the state with a call on the government to invest in public education.
Communities like Mangar in Bokkos Local Government Area of the state as well as Mafara and Buguru in Bassa LGA both decried the years of neglect and the need for urgent attention by the state government. Headmaster of L.E.A Primary School, Buguru, David Imil disclosed that the school has 186 pupils with only three teachers operating under very terrible working conditions.
“We complained to previous governments but we have not seen anything yet. We are hoping that this government will hear our cry. “The school has been in this deplorable condition as you are seeing for more than 20 years. And because of the shortage of teachers, the school is practising a system we call ‘multi-grade teaching.’ That is a system whereby one teacher teaches more than one class at the same time. We lack teaching material and the learning environment is bad particularly during the rainy season,” he said.
At L.E.A Primary School, Mangar also in Bokkos, the headmaster, Mathew Mangai said the school which is a central primary school has over the years faced abandonment with a dilapidated staff room, headmaster’s office and classrooms with a leaking roof. The school recently received an intervention of a classroom block but most of the pupils sit on stones and woods during classes. The story of Government Secondary School, Shendam in the Southern part of the state is not different as the school has battled with a deplorable working condition despite some interventions by the last administration. The boys’ dormitory codenamed Pankshin Hostel as well as the girls’ hostels are in deplorable condition especially in the rainy season. The Dean of Students at G.S.S, Shendam Damak Richard lamented the infrastructural decay in the school, adding that the computer laboratory is on the verge of collapse. However, the state government last August awarded contracts for the construction of 55 new secondary schools across the state.
Kwara: Some schools conduct classes under trees
The deplorable condition of some public primary and secondary schools in Kwara State is making teaching and learning difficult for teachers and students.
Investigation across some council areas in the state indicates that the major challenges facing the schools outside Ilorin, the state capital, are dilapidated structures and inadequate staffing. In Patigi Local Government Area, it was gathered that many schools had only five teachers as at January 2019. This made teaching and learning difficult.
A visit to Islamiyyah College and Government Technical College, both in Patigi LGA of the state showed a pitiable situation of both the physical structures and the environment. Although the school was on midterm break at the time Saturday Sun visited, a resident, Isa Usman, lamented the deplorable state of the school.
At Takan LGEA Primary School in Asa Local Government Area, public schools are in a dire situation. According to a resident, Abdulazeez Suleiman, a cashew tree in front of the school serves as shelter under which classes take place.
“It feels like they have forgotten us here. But if the government can build more classes for us, I believe it will encourage parents to enrol their children in the school,” he told Saturday Sun.
During the visit, many pupils were seen wandering about around 11:00 a.m. One of the teachers confirmed Abdulazeez’s claim of staying under the cashew tree for lessons. “It’s because today is Wednesday we are about to go on midterm holiday; you would have met pupils under the tree receiving lessons. As you can see, the classes here are not enough. And most teachers don’t want to come here when posted because of the situation, and the fact that the road to this school is in bad shape,” the teacher said.
“Imagine we have been here since 7:30 am; the teachers have to chase the children to come to school. We are forced to start classes by 9:00 am because they will not come before then,” the teacher continued.
ENUGU: Classroom congestion, poor facilities major challenges
Despite huge budgetary allocations to education in Enugu State, schools in the state are still grappling with some challenges to the frustration of teachers and students. A teacher at Girl’s Secondary School, Uwani Enugu, who gave her name as Nnamani Beatrice, said that the major challenge facing the school is congestion.
According to Nnamani, the high number of students in a class makes it difficult for teachers to pass knowledge to the students.
An SS3 student in the same school added that the school lacked a biology laboratory and teachers in some major subjects, especially in senior classes.
“In junior classes, the average number of students in a class is 50. There are teachers there. But in both SS1 and SS2 there are 100 persons per class. They merged two classes in one room. I think it is because the classrooms are not enough.
“But in SS3, that’s my class, we only have 10 students. Other students have left for better schools. I don’t know why but it could be because students hardly pass WAEC in the school.
“We don’t have a Biology lab. In fact, I didn’t know there was something like a Biology lab until my friend in another school told me about it. We also don’t have a Physics teacher. There is also no teacher for Financial Accounting. That’s for the commercial students. They also don’t have teachers for Commerce. Those in Arts do not have Literature teachers,” the student stated.
At Community Secondary School, Obollo-Afor, a teacher admitted that there was a need for more teachers but added that the school principal was doing everything possible to ensure that the needed teachers were posted. He also disclosed that although laboratories exist, they lack necessary equipment for learning.
Bayelsa: Amidst infrastructure decay, students serve teachers’ interests
The state of primary and secondary schools in Bayelsa State is a mixed bag. The good side is that the state government is trying hard to change the narrative. The bad side is that there is infrastructure decay, shortage of personnel, parent’s indifference to education, and other institutional challenges.
A few months ago, the Commissioner for Education, Gentle Emelah, and other top ministry officials paid an unscheduled visit to Angalabiri Primary School in Sagabma Local Government Area. Their discovery was shocking. Pupils were seen washing freshly harvested cassava for teachers in the school premises during learning hours. Further investigations showed that some of the teachers were not in school.
The situation in Angalabiri is replicated in several rural communities across the eight local government areas of the state as Saturday Sun found out that teachers turn their students to domestic workers. When they are not running errands, they are in farms harvesting crops for teachers.
In 2018, the state government enacted the Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Law which mandates parents to send their children to school or risk sanctions. Despite the existence of this law, school enrolment is still low. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, (UNICEF) estimated that with 250,000 out-of-school children, Bayelsa ranks among states with a high figure.
To beat the out-of-school children syndrome in the state, the state government introduced the Bayelsa Prime project which is to boost enrolment in schools and also monitor teachers’ performance.
Under the project launched in four local government areas, Kolokuma/Opokuma/Sagbama, Yemagoa, and Ogbia, there is the Come Back to School Campaign targeted at school enrolment. This project has been able to boost school enrolment by about 40,000 as of May 2024. To bridge the infrastructural gap in schools, the state government has embarked on several projects to upgrade facilities in the schools.
Saturday Sun learnt that the state government has executed projects in Obogoro, Igbogene, Yenezue-Gene, Akenfa, Biogbolo, and Ekeki, all in Yenagoa local government areas. Also included are the rehabilitation of facilities in Ofoinbiri and Igbomotoru in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. Schools in Sagbama, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Ogbia council areas have also benefitted.