By Abubakar Sadiq Isah | Publish Date: Dec 21 2016 2:00AM

It is always a thing of joy when parents see the government provide a very conducive learning environment for their children, apart from building classrooms, recruiting of qualified teachers and provision of basic school instructional materials.
But, the situation seems not to be so for parents whose children are learning at Local Education Authority (LEA) primary school at Kwaita-Hausa community in Gumbo ward of Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

When Aso Chronicle visited the school recently, there are only two functional blocks of classrooms built of mud some years ago. These only accommodate few pupils, while the other four blocks which were being renovated looked abandoned.

The roofs have been removed for the past two years leaving the remaining pupils no option than to learn under a tree.

The LEA school which was established in 1992 is located on the ever-busy Abuja-Lokoja highway. There is also a Junior Secondary School (JSS), which is very close to the primary school in the area.

Speaking to Aso Chronicle, the chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school, Alhaji Bako Adamu, expressed concern over the condition under which the pupils have to sit and learn.

He said the four blocks of two classrooms each, which had been undergoing renovation about two years ago, was suddenly abandoned, after the roofs were removed and new rafters fixed but abandoned to the tear and wear of the sun and rain.

He said since the renovation work stopped, some of the pupils have been learning under a tree, while others take lessons inside one of the dilapidated classrooms, saying the school has over 600 pupils and learning under the present condition has been most unfavourable.

He said the situation is worse during the rainy season, as pupils have to remain at home whenever it rained or was about to rain due to lack of classrooms. He said when most pupils began to stay at home due to lack of classrooms, he led the PTA executives of the school to meet with the principal of the Junior Secondary School (JSS), who volunteered a classroom for the pupils to take lessons.

He said the classroom is usually overcrowded and some pupils have to sit on the floor.

He added, “We have pupils in each of the classrooms up to 150, because we have primary four which is three arms, primary five, which is two arms and primary six, which is three arms, but it is unfortunate that teachers have to combine them inside one of the classrooms to teach them, while others that have no space, especially the primary one and two pupils as well as three sit under the tree for their lessons,” the PTA chair said.

He however, told Aso Chronicle that the PTA executives had written twice to the former chairman of Kwali Area Council, Mr. Ibrahim Daniel, intimating him about the abandoned renovation work on the classrooms, but said nothing was done about it.

He added that the PTA had also written and visited the office of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB)in Abuja three times, to lodge the same complaint over the non-completion of the classrooms project, which he said nothing was done too.

In fact, the last time the contractor came to put rafters on the blocks of classrooms was immediately after President Muhammadu Buhari won election. After the March 28 election the contractor hurriedly came and carried out some little work and left, which up till this moment I am speaking with you, he never came again,” he said.

He said the LEA primary school is one of the largest schools under Gumbo ward, adding that parents from neighbouring communities such as, Kamadi, Gari-Sabo and Tekpeshe also enrol their children in the school.

A parent, Malam Ndako Yahaya, who also spoke with our reporter, expressed concern over the abandonment of the renovation work, saying it was embarrassing that such a school in FCT with over 600 pupils is left in that condition.

He said he was worried that two of his children who are in the school sometimes run back home whenever it is about to rain, due to lack of classrooms for pupils to sit down to attend lessons.

Yahaya further said apart from the challenges created by the abandonment of the renovation work, the school does not have sufficient teachers, instructional materials and chairs and desks, saying some pupils sit on the bare floor to receive lessons.

“There was even a time when the pupils resumed newly and there were no seats so I had to join hands with the executives of the PTA to mobilise carpenters in order to repair some broken desks and chairs to enable pupils sit and write. I think there is the urgent need for the management of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) to intervene by mobilising the contractor back to site to complete the work. It is unfortunate that those woods have to be replaced because the ones they used to make the rafters have already rotten,” he said.

When contacted, the chairman of Kwali Area Council, Mr Joseph Shazin, said he has not received any complaint over the abandoned renovation since he assumed office, even as he said the school is the responsibility of the Universal Basic Education Board.

The chairman said he will call the attention of the Secretary of the Local Education Authority (LEA) of the council, Samuel Leda, to get details about the abandoned school project so that he can redirect it to the management of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) for urgent action.

Reacting, the FCT director of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Dr. Adamu Jatau Noma, who reacted via a text message, said the renovation work was not abandoned, saying the contractor handling the project was only waiting for some payment so that he could go back to site to continue the work.


http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/city-news/at-kwaita-hausa-pupils-learn-under-tree/176978.html#XsArafgR7qFTxjub.99

Just imagine, under a tree! What happens when it rains? Does that mean no school for the day? Where is the senator representing that constituency? Where is the LGA chairman? Is hungerBAD no longer a zombie?

I pity those kids.....

..UBEB should endevour to pay the contractor ASAP!

Let me take my breakfast, then come back and blame Jonathan for this