Inadequate desks impede learning in Nasarawa schools
Yelwa Primary School I is one of the well-known and oldest schools in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The school, with not less than 10 classroom blocks, is however said to be in dire need of basic services and infrastructure to make teaching and learning conducive.
Founded in 1972, the school has a population of 729 pupils and 78 three-in-one desks. This implies that only 234 pupils have access to desks while about 495 pupils are left with no option than to sit on the floor.
The pupils learn in a poor condition which makes it difficult for them to perform well in their studies.
A source said government only provided infrastructure, leaving the provision of other basic amenities exclusively to the host communities where such schools are established.
In an interview with our reporter, the Headmaster of Yelwa Primary School I, Malam Mohammed Adamu, said the school has sought for government intervention on its predicaments but to no avail.
“We have solicited for government intervention in the provision of furniture for the pupils but no favourable response has been received. The government only provides the infrastructure.
“I can tell you that it’s sad, seeing these pupils sitting and writing on the floor. It is always difficult to teach them in such condition. We only hope that the government can do something urgently about the school,” he said.
Adamu said the school faced shortage of teaching staff and delays in the payment of teachers’ salaries. He called on government to address the issues as a matter of urgency.
Similarly, a visit to Yelwa Primary School 2, revealed its old shabby building which has been in need of repair and attention for some time.
The challenges facing the school are similar to those of Yelwa Primary School 1 where the pupils do not have chairs to sit on. Most pupils have to bring chairs or wrappers from home while those whose parents could not afford to provide one, sit on the floor.
Established in 1976, the school has a population of 1,200 pupils but with only five classrooms and all the discomfort and effects of classroom overcrowding on learning.
The Headmistress, Hajiya Zainab Danjuma, said the future of the pupils was threatened as they have no access to chairs and teaching aids.
She said all their pleas to government to get the school out of the woods seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
“It’s unfortunate that we find ourselves in such a horrible situation. The government has turned deaf ears to our requests, probably because top public officers have no wards in the public schools.
“I want to use this medium to appeal to the government, non-governmental organisations and other concerned Nigerians to come to our aid,” she said.
On the efforts to address the poor state of facilities in schools by government, the Chairman of Keffi Local Government, Alhaji Ismaila Sallau Nuhu, said government has not relented in its efforts to improve teaching and learning in schools.
However, government is constrained by the economic doldrums affecting the country in recent times.
He said the state government would not falter in addressing the problems once there was improvement in the economic situation.
“There is no doubt that the state government has set a good record in promoting learning by providing basic learning amenities in most of the public schools. It wishes to do more, but the recent economic recession has constrained its ability to address some of these problems,’’ he said.
The Chairman of the Parent Teachers’ Association of Yelwa 1, Alhaji Lawal Maizabo, said the condition of learning in the school was appalling, adding that no meaningful learning could take place in such school environment.
Maizabo who applauded the efforts of the teachers in promoting learning in such unfortunate condition, accused government of negligence.
He called on the state government to wake up to its responsibility.
He said the PTA has done a lot to assist the school in terms of provision of basic learning facilities and will do more to provide better learning environment.
Meanwhile, the Sustainable Mechanism for Improving Livelihood and Household Empowerment (SMILE) project with support from USAID and Association for the Advancement of Women in Nigeria recently put smiles on the faces of the pupils of Yelwa Primary School 1 when they provided it with 78 threein-one desks.
The Programme Manager of ASSAWIN, Amaechina Chinelo, said the organisation’s intervention was prompted by an assessment which revealed that 60% of pupils in the two schools sat on the floor.
She further revealed that the project was in exchange for school fees waiver for 422 beneficiaries of SMILE project for a period of two years.
Chinelo urged the teachers and pupils to use the opportunity to improve on the level on learning and school attendance.