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From GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, OWERRI
The idea behind the building of schools by the Imo State government for the itinerant farmers and fishermen in the state is to make education available at least at the primary school level for their wards. But the one in Logara Community in Ngor Okpala local council area of the state could be described as pathetic as the pupils are currently doing their learning in an uncompleted three-bedroom building belonging to one late Mr. Sylvester Akujuobi. This happened as the increasing numbers of pupils made the only one block of three classrooms built by the administration of Ikedi Ohakim in 2007 grossly inadequate. To make matters worse, there are only two permanent teachers and eight assisting/volunteer ones from the ‘Youths Must Work’ programme of the state government.
History of neglect
Unfortunately, the Logara community did not also benefit from the one-storey modern school buildings being constructed by the Rochas Okorocha’s administration for the 305 wards of the state. As most of the little kids could not trek to the community primary school, which is about two kilometres away, the indigenes had no choice than to send their little wards to the nomadic primary school located in the uncompleted building belonging to Akujuobi. Saturday Sun gathered that the Nomadic Primary School established in 2004 had also begun in the private house of a member of the community called Hygenius Nwachukwu. Pupils and their teachers were there until the administration of Ikedi Ohakim in 2007 built a three-classroom block for them through the financial assistance of the Education Trust Fund. But the increasing number of pupils forced the school authorities to go back to square one, as it were, by relocating Primary 1-3 pupils to carry on with their studies in the uncompleted three-bedroom flat owned by late Akujuobi.
Book of lamentation
One of the teachers who spoke to Saturday Sun but who did not want her name mentioned because she is not authorized officially to speak on the matter disclosed that they are handicapped over the situation as even the one built by the Ohakim administration has no toilet facilities, prompting the teachers to take the pupils to the bush whenever they had any cause to answer to the call of nature. “Lack of space was the major reason most of the pupils from Primary 1 to 3 were moved to the uncompleted building because that is the only way the pupils could be accommodated here,” she said. “We are appealing to the state government to at least build another block for the school and to also provide the pupils and the teachers with toilet facilities because it is very important.”
Logara at loggerheads with state
Lamenting the situation, an indigene of the community, Mr. Alozie Cosmas (Ohamadike) noted that when the primary school was established in 2004 during the administration of Achike Udenwa, no single classroom was provided for the pupils. He added that it was an indigene of the community, Nwachukwu, who made available his personal house to ensure its take-off. He further disclosed that throughout the administration of Udenwa no single classroom block was put up, not even after the community made land available for the purpose.
“This Nomadic Primary School is the second primary school in the community because the first one was built by the St. Patrick Catholic Church in 1963,” he said. “So when this one was established in 2004 the community was very happy and to ensure that the school takes off, an indigene of the community made available his private house and it was in that house that learning was taking place until in 2007 when Ikedi Ohakim built the three classroom block for the pupils. But as you can see the three-classroom block cannot accommodate the pupils which was why they were moved to this uncompleted three bedroom flat owned by late Sylvester Akujobi. But his widow who lives in Lagos has already served the school a quit notice, as she wants to complete the house and put it into use. As things stand now, it is as if nothing is being done to build another classroom block before the next academic session. When that time comes, the pupils may have nowhere to go”.
Alozie also pointed out the dilapidated state of infrastructures in the community, noting that it does not have an access road even when though it is one of the communities that made part of its land available for the building of the Imo Airport.
“We have no access road to the community and even the one kilometre road being built for the community has been abandoned. We contributed part of our land for the building of the Imo Airport and yet all the promises made to the community have remained unfulfilled. Our first primary school, St. Patrick Primary School, now Community Primary School, Logara, is dilapidated. The community has continued to maintain it, though it is owned by government. Even the community did not also benefit from the construction of the new modern one-storey school building erected across the state.”
