FCT school grapples with poor facilities
In spite of government’s intervention in providing infrastructure for basic schools across the country, there are still some schools where teaching and learning are conducted in very unhealthy and poor condition.
One of such schools is the LEA Primary School, Kado Sabo, located at Kado village in the Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
One classroom in the school which had its roof blown off by wind had not been repaired for years. Speaking on the plight of the school, the chairman of Parents Teachers Association, Mr Agayi Amos, said the school’s major challenges include poor infrastructure, lack of teachers and shortage of potable water.
“Our major problem is poor school facilities, we don’t have enough teachers and there is acute shortage of safe water in the school.
“Enrollment has been increasing steadily over the years, making it difficult for the available facilities to cater to the growing needs of the pupils. We have over 1,000 pupils in the school. There are over 150 pupils in a class controlled by one teacher and the population keeps increasing,” he said.
He said despite several appeals to the education authority to expand the school infrastructure, nothing had been done, adding that the PTA had built a block of classrooms for the early child education section. Another parent, Malam Abubakar Muhammadu, said the school was facing the challenges of inadequate furniture, lack of water and insufficient toilet and sanitary facilities.
“Our children urinate openly due to lack of toilet facilities. Even the available toilets, constructed by some NGOs, are not used by the pupil due to lack of water. If you go to the school, you will see empty overhead tanks and dilapidated taps meant to supply water for the children,”he said.s
Mr. Sunday Aibadu, who has two children in the school, said that due to poor infrastructure “the academic performance of the pupils is affected because they don’t get proper attention from the teachers. I am worried about my children’s health and the quality of education provided them.”
One of the teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity said the population of the pupils had exceeded the capacity of the school.
“How can a teacher teach over 150 pupils in a class? It is not possible but we are doing our best to give them quality and sustainable education,” he said.
He appealed to philanthropists and NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) to come to the aid of the school. When contacted, the Head Mistress of the school, Mrs Esther Augustine, said that she was not authorized to speak on the matter.
District Head of Kado Village, Danlami Audu, told Daily Trust the community was facing challenges in terms of quality education. “We are facing serious challenges with regard to access and quality education in our community. We only have one primary school in Kado village. We don’t have secondary school. If our children finish primary school, they go to distant places for their secondary education,” he said.
According to him, the community was always ready to partner with government on the provision of secondary school in the community.
“We are ready to cooperate with government on the provision of enough teachers and building of a secondary school in our community.”
According to him, the gesture would reduce the hardship children face in their search for secondary education.
The Executive Director of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB), Dr. Adamu Jatau Noma, said they would construct storey buildings in various schools in the FCT to reduce overcrowdings.
“FCT schools are congested due to daily influx of people to Abuja city. We are building storey buildings in our schools. You can see that we don’t have space in our schools. Therefore, that is the only way to provide space in our schools,” he said.
According to him, the structure would attract children to school particularly in rural areas. He said the board was making efforts to ensure that adequate classrooms, learning facilities, qualified teachers are made available to schools in the FCT.