With over 13,000 pupils, Gobirawa’s primary school trumps many varsities
this school but that could not be achieved. I remember when government commissioned a new primary school in the area last year, I donated over 3,000 pupils to the school, but before the end of the session that number was recovered,” he said.
Fagge, who has been the headmaster of the school for five years now, said “I have adopted a method of division of labour among my teachers for effective running of the school. I work closely with my teachers and I sometimes take some classes just to encourage them. To take good care of our pupils, the school has a dispensary with a sick bay and five Physical & Health Education (PHE) teachers present.”
On the free feeding programme, Fagge revealed that the school consumes 10 bags of rice and 2 bags of beans daily for both morning and evening session pupils. The pupils also consume 30 carts of 16 jerry cans of water per day. He, however, said with the construction of two solar boreholes by the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN), the problem of drinking water has become a thing of the past.
“The most interesting thing about this school is that the host community always participates in running the school. Before the coming of ESSPIN to build two solar powered boreholes in the school, the community bore the responsibilities of buying drinking water for our pupils on daily bases. I receive up to 30 carts of water from individuals every day,” he said.
The headmaster, who appealed to government to provide more chairs, tables and other teaching materials for the school, also urged the community to continue complementing government’s efforts by maintaining its assistance to the school. He said government alone cannot shoulder the burdens of educating the society.
Malam Abubakar Shua’ibu Ibrahim is a teacher in the school and he told Daily Trust that “teaching in the school is very fulfilling because of the commitment of both the school leadership and the parents towards improving teaching and learning in the school.
Ibrahim said the academic excellence and standard he has noticed in the school since his stay cannot in any way be compared to that of the other schools he had served within the metropolis.
On the school’s population, he said: “The school has been able to modernize the process of teaching by introducing grouping of pupils and assessing them according to their respective groups. This system has eased teaching and enabled pupils learn from one another.”
“The special education unit of the school is quite interesting; it is meant for deaf pupils. I was not thought about special education, neither did I learn from anybody but here in Gobirawa Primary School, I developed interest in teaching in the special education unit,” he concluded.
Mrs. Aisha Garba, another teacher in the school, said “I was transferred here just two years ago, but I sincerely appreciate the commitment of the school management in terms of taking care of the welfare of both teachers and pupils.”
Both staff, however, called on the state government, parents, agencies and other nongovernmental organizations to show extra concern in assisting the school management to further boost the academic standard of the school.