With over 13,000 pupils, Gobirawa’s primary school trumps many varsities
Perhaps Gobirawa Project Primary School is the most populated public primary school, not only in Kano State but the whole of Nigeria. Located at Kurna quarters in Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State, the school was established in 1970 with only 76 pupils but now accommodates 13,743 pupils.
The population of the school comprises of 6,689 girls and 7,054 boys with a total of 7,449 pupils attending morning session while 6,294 others are for the evening session.
The 46-year-old school has one Headmaster, six Assistant Headmasters, 216 teachers, 35 pit toilets and 72 classrooms including six Special Education and four Early Child Care (ECC) classes. Each of the 62 conventional classrooms has A-J classes.
It was observed that the least number of pupils per class is 140, while the maximum is 243. Most of the classrooms have no chairs and tables for both pupils and teachers. While pupils sit on bare floors and some perch on the windows, the teachers stand throughout the duration of lessons.
The teachers sit under trees or at the veranda of some classrooms during break hours since there is no common or staff room for teachers in the school.
gathered that out of the 216 teachers in the school, 196 have a minimum qualification of Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE), while the rest are currently undergoing their NCE programme in addition to the diploma certificates they already possess.
From the exterior, one wouldn’t notice the existence of such a big school until when the pupils are leaving the school premises after closing hours.
This has left some people to wonder how effective teaching could take place in such a crowded school like that. However, the headmaster, Malam Kabiru Garba Fagge, said with the new method of grouping pupils, teaching is effectively being conducted in the school.
“Once a teacher groups the pupils, it would be easier for him to teach them. Each classroom has three registers. The population of our school has never deterred us from carrying out our mandates as teachers. We always try our best to see that the pupils get adequate knowledge they deserve,” he said.
According to Garba, who is the 27th headmaster of the school, the school has been expanding in terms of structures, size and population since its creation 46 years ago. He added that many people from within and outside the host community help from time to time in running the affairs of the school.
He noted that the school has graduated a lot of influential personalities in Kano State ranging from big business personalities to high ranking military officers and civil servants.
“Though this school is located in Fagge local government area within the state’s metropolis, it currently serves many communities in Fagge, Dala, Ungoggo and Kumbotso local government areas.
“The school is blessed because government had established many primary schools including Durumi, Sule Chamber, Maidorawa, Alpha Kwachiri and one other just to decongest