46 per cent of FCT public schools lack toilets, water
of 17 in the council are without toilets.
Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has the highest number of public junior secondary schools, 62, out of which 64 per cent are without boreholes. 16 schools in the council are without toilets. Schools in satellite towns and urban slums are mostly without toilet facilities and boreholes. The document shows that in JSS Orozo, there is no toilet for the 2,072 students, while same is obtainable in JSS Gosa, with 1,917 students. The junior secondary schools in Kuchigoro, Idu-Koro, Kpeyegi, Saburi and Kagini also have high enrolment figures but are without toilet facilities.
When our reporters visited JSS Zone 6, the toilets were in good condition, though the UBEB website had shown that there were no toilets in the school.
The Board Member I of the FCT UBEB, Alhaji Usman Yahaya, said there was no school that was established in the territory without toilet facilities.
Alh. Yahay said, “The only problem we have in the FCT is a peculiar one; which is, you may have a school of 1,000 students with a projection of additional 200 to 300 students yearly, but you may end up having an intake of additional 1,000 students yearly. As a result of influx of people into the FCT, the facilities are overstretched. If we project for 1,000 students, in the next three years, we expect 3,000 students, but we may end up with 5,000 students.”
On the issue of water in the schools, he said about 70 per cent of schools within Abuja had access to pipe borne water from the FCT Water Board and did not need boreholes.
“But if you go to the rural areas, virtually every school has a borehole, it may not be functional as some may be faulty, but as a board, it is our duty to provide the facilities.
“I appreciate your effort to have been able to discover that some of the toilets were locked up in some schools. It may be that some are not functional or are damaged.
“Education for all is the responsibility of all. We are going to do our own part to investigate why these toilets are not being used.
“You cannot expect a student to carry a bucket of water from home to flush the toilet. So from your investigation, it is for us to go and make special visit to these toilet facilities and see how to ensure that at least 90 per cent of students have access to toilets,” he assured.
On open defecation, he said, “If toilets are provided, then you can punish students that engage in open defecation. I see no reason why schools will have toilets and lock them up. If the facilities are not enough, they are to write to the board.”
He said the board could not provide amenities 100 per cent “but there are barest minimum that we can allow things to go and sanitary condition is one. If we provide a school we must provide toilets and if the toilets are not enough we must look for means of tackling the challenge.”