In a concerning report from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Junior Secondary School Gurfata in Gwagwalada Area Council’s Ibwa Ward is facing significant infrastructural challenges.
This was made known by a civic technology group, MonITNg, in a post shared on its X handle on Saturday. The group highlighted the dilapidated structures, leaking roofs, and ceilings of the school buildings.
According to the information provided, the school’s infrastructure is on the brink of collapse, with the poor living conditions driving teachers away and leaving over 1500 pupils without access to education. As the only school in the town, the deteriorating conditions have significantly impacted the community, raising concerns about the government’s commitment to providing quality education for its citizens.
The tweet reads: “Here’s the current state of Junior Secondary School Gurfata in Ibwa Ward, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT Abuja—the only school in town, now on the brink of collapse.
“Poor living conditions have driven teachers away, leaving over 1,500 students without access to education.
“We urge the @GovWike and Sen @IretiKingibe to take immediate action,” the post reads.
In another government-owned school cluster in an Abuja community, Saharareporters during a visit to the school had revealed that pupils from Primary 2 to 6 are crammed into a single classroom.
The report noted further that many of the pupils in the community also shun school. Some were seen going to farms, while some others were seen playing around the village, where over 10,000 people reside.
Mr. Usman, Parent-Teacher Association chairman of the school, told SaharaReporters that the association has complained to the FCT authorities several times but nothing came out of it. He appealed to the authorities of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) to come to the aid of the school.
“Many parents have stopped their children from going to the school because the buildings are in a bad shape. The children are now going to the farm instead, which is not really good for the future of the country. I’m appealing to the authorities of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) to come to the aid of the school,” the PTA chairman stated.
The assistant headmaster of the school lamented that they have 24 teachers who resume under the tree daily in the school, sometimes with no pupils available to teach.
The assistant headmaster said, “I am the assistant headmaster of LEA primary school, Pagada 1. You can see that the school environment is very bad because the roofs have been blown off by wind. Because of that, we merged the children into one classroom that is manageable for now; that is where Primary 2,3,4,5 and 6 pupils take their classes together.
“We have over 100 children but due to the environment, the parents decided to withdraw their children to a nearby community school where they can learn. And we have been managing like that now, as you can see.
“Some of our pupils are not here. They are in the village because of the state of the school. Even as a father, if you know what you are doing, you won’t like to bring your child here.
“We have about 24 staff members with good degrees. We are very good and our staff members are punctual.
“We are seeking the attention of the government. They should come to our aid so that learning will take place at LEA.”
Leave a Reply