[size=14pt]Is this a school or an animal farm?[/size]

On a warm Wednesday morning, you stroll into the premises of a public primary school in Lagos. At the entrance, flies in a pile of refuse welcome you as you come face-to-face with this school which is in a state of disrepair. As you move further, a putrid smell from an abandoned classroom block assails your nostrils.


[img]http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/thumbnail.php?file=images/Abandoned_classrooms_467553756.gif&size=article_small[/img]


At that moment, you want to run back. But at a distance, the pupils of First African Church Mission Primary School I and II, Iju-Ishaga who are in the morning assembly are singing their marching song: “The day is bright, it is bright and fair, oh, happy day, the day of joy, the day is bright, it is bright and gay, oh happy day.” Left-right-left-right-left-right, and without the luxury of a school band, they marched excitedly into their dilapidated classrooms. Looking at the deplorable state of the school, it is doubtful if they are really going to have a happy day.

There are four buildings in this school and two blocks of three classrooms have been abandoned. Even in the remaining dilapidated blocks, only two classrooms in each block are in use. With blown-off roofs, decayed ceilings, no electricity, no water, no teachers’ room, the school is a dumping place for refuse. At night, it is a magnet for undesirable people and events as some parts of the school fence have collapsed making it porous and accessible to miscreants. At the moment, anyone can enter the school through the collapsed fence.

In fact, the school is an eyesore. Everyday, pupils and teachers are faced with this reality when they come to school. A former Minister of Education during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime once wept after seeing images of dilapidated schools across the federation. Like the minister, the sight of children running about in this distressed school would make anyone sad that our children are studying in such squalid conditions in the Centre of Excellence.
According to Education Review investigations, the school, formerly called (UNA) United African Church Primary School, was managed by the Ogun State government for decades and was taken over by the Lagos State government in March last year.

A source who did not want to be named, told Education Review: “For many years, the school had been in a dilapidated state and when it was handed over to Lagos State, Ogun State moved their pupils to a school in their state and only few pupils were left, those who wanted to remain here.
“After taking over, some officials from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) came here to inspect the school, took photographs and surveyed the compound to know what to do concerning the reconstruction and rehabilitation before 2012.

“Similarly, officials from the Education Office at Ifako/Ijaye Local Government, through the Chairman, Chief Demola Doherty, even came and they also promised to assist in repairing the few classrooms that can be used for learning.”

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/latest-addition/75720-this-school-animal-farm.html

The writer is obviously new to Lagos and maybe even the Southwest in general because animal farms and orchards disguised as schools are the norm.

Answer:
Animal farm!

That was the school fstranger, Ileke-Idi, bluetooth, etc attended.
You can see it from the way they insert irrelevant posts in ongoing dialogues. Pure Animals.   

Damn.

The state of Public Education System is Sad!!! I wish Nigerians would even pretend that what they see is NOT NORMAL. But you hear people make more noise about the irrelevant than that which actually affects their kids directly.

Even my Ekiti Kete Kindergarten(?)(The grade b4 primary school) looks better than that. . . .

LOL @ an animal farm. . . .literally got me ROTFLMAO




*Got to change my glasses, does anyone know any great glasses brand out there, apart from Tommy(TM)*

I really dont see what the hullabaloo is really.

There is more to education than nice and well decorated buildings. Once we look past trivial issues like that, more important things come to the fore. I am more interested in the quality of the teachers than the buildings that make up a school. You can go to the most attractive and best built schools and still amount to nothing. We know, thanks to WAEC, that the best schools in Nigeria over the past decade arent the Sulejas of the World nor the Olashores of this World. As a matter of fact, expensive and well funded schools in most cases lag behind dilapidated state schools, going by WAEC results. It is on record that the highest achieving schools in Nigeria are the little known schools like Oritamefa in Ibadan, Ilesha grammer school, Christ school in Onitsha etc. It is not the building that is going to impact the knowledge into the kids, the teachers do and more than that their fellow students.

All in all, what is more important than education are Knowledge and character, and these two, fortunately, can be taught anywhere, with or without eye catching buildings, including often derided places like Animal farms. As long as there are teachers there ready to teach and shape the character of those kids, I care not what the school buildings look like, very trivial IMHO.

I weep.

fstranger3:

I really dont see what the hullabaloo is really.

There is more to education than nice and well decorated buildings. Once we look past trivial issues like that, more important things come to the fore. I am more interested in the quality of the teachers than the buildings that make up a school. You can go to the most attractive and best built schools and still amount to nothing. We know, thanks to WAEC, that the best schools in Nigeria over the past decade arent the Sulejas of the World nor the Olashores of this World. As a matter of fact, expensive and well funded schools in most cases lag behind dilapidated state schools, going by WAEC results. It is on record that the highest achieving schools in Nigeria are the little known schools like Oritamefa in Ibadan, Ilesha grammer school, Christ school in Onitsha etc. It is not the building that is going to impact the knowledge into the kids, the teachers do and more than that their fellow students.

All in all, what is more important than education are Knowledge and character, and these two, fortunately, can be taught anywhere, with or without eye catching buildings, including often derided places like Animal farms. As long as there are teachers there ready to teach and shape the character of those kids, I care not what the school buildings look like, very trivial IMHO.

Dude, I went to a school where it wasn't out of place to find people who could read a full novel during siesta or revise for addtional maths exams by simply leafing through the pages. There is no "Oritamefa" on Earth that can match such a school in any way. Neither do I think the likes of Shell hunt down their next scholarship recipients whom they would train in Europe from any Oritamefa dump.

We must admit that Nigeria is simply rotten and despicable in many ways. Its only after we admit the fact that we will have the collective strength, purpose and direction to pull out of the sewer.

^^^ Those schools gave us the Likes of Justice Kayode Eso, Professor Wale Omole, Nzeogwu etc.

fstranger3:

^^^ Those schools gave us the Likes of Justice Kayode Eso, Professor Wale Omole, Nzeogwu etc.

I can assure you that the schools that provided those gentlemen never ever looked anything like this:

[img]http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/thumbnail.php?file=images/Abandoned_classrooms_467553756.gif&size=article_small[/img]

No ordered mind can be created in such a dump, in fact such places are probably the reason some clowns argued that Nigeria's average IQ is 69 (Lynn and Vanhanen - 2006).

and here we have ppl wondering why students are failing WAEC and looking to facebook and smartphones as the possible causes.
isn't the answer so damn obvious?

Sisi_Kill:

The writer is obviously new to Lagos and maybe even the Southwest in general because animal farms and orchards disguised as schools are the norm.

abi o

All hail Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.The man who truly loves his people and knows the value of education.

Abagworo:

All hail Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.The man who truly loves his people and knows the value of education.

There are no animal farms schools like this in Rivers state?

aloy/emeka:

[size=14pt]Is this a school or an animal farm?[/size]

On a warm Wednesday morning, you stroll into the premises of a public primary school in Lagos. At the entrance, flies in a pile of refuse welcome you as you come face-to-face with this school which is in a state of disrepair. As you move further, a putrid smell from an abandoned classroom block assails your nostrils.


[img]http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/thumbnail.php?file=images/Abandoned_classrooms_467553756.gif&size=article_small[/img]


At that moment, you want to run back. But at a distance, the pupils of First African Church Mission Primary School I and II, Iju-Ishaga who are in the morning assembly are singing their marching song: “The day is bright, it is bright and fair, oh, happy day, the day of joy, the day is bright, it is bright and gay, oh happy day.” Left-right-left-right-left-right, and without the luxury of a school band, they marched excitedly into their dilapidated classrooms. Looking at the deplorable state of the school, it is doubtful if they are really going to have a happy day.

There are four buildings in this school and two blocks of three classrooms have been abandoned. Even in the remaining dilapidated blocks, only two classrooms in each block are in use. With blown-off roofs, decayed ceilings, no electricity, no water, no teachers’ room, the school is a dumping place for refuse. At night, it is a magnet for undesirable people and events as some parts of the school fence have collapsed making it porous and accessible to miscreants. At the moment, anyone can enter the school through the collapsed fence.

In fact, the school is an eyesore. Everyday, pupils and teachers are faced with this reality when they come to school. A former Minister of Education during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime once wept after seeing images of dilapidated schools across the federation. Like the minister, the sight of children running about in this distressed school would make anyone sad that our children are studying in such squalid conditions in the Centre of Excellence.
According to Education Review investigations, the school, formerly called (UNA) United African Church Primary School, was managed by the Ogun State government for decades and was taken over by the Lagos State government in March last year.

A source who did not want to be named, told Education Review: “For many years, the school had been in a dilapidated state and when it was handed over to Lagos State, Ogun State moved their pupils to a school in their state and only few pupils were left, those who wanted to remain here.
“After taking over, some officials from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) came here to inspect the school, took photographs and surveyed the compound to know what to do concerning the reconstruction and rehabilitation before 2012.

“Similarly, officials from the Education Office at Ifako/Ijaye Local Government, through the Chairman, Chief Demola Doherty, even came and they also promised to assist in repairing the few classrooms that can be used for learning.”

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/latest-addition/75720-this-school-animal-farm.html

Is he done with the weeping?Time for action yet,Oga Ex-minister.
I dont quite get it,what do they mean by Ogun state came and moved its pupils to another school/state

aloy/emeka:

There are no animal farms schools like this in Rivers state?

There are none. Go to Rivers State and see for yourself the level of change the current administration has brought in terms of education.

Amaechi has done very excellently well building nice schools in Rivers, the public schools. Thats a plus.

Both

Going by health and safety regulations,animals in the real world can't be reared in a place like that.

Nigerians are crazy but the funniest thing is that they think they are normal.insanity tend to mean sanity in nigeria.An educated person is suppose to be the headperson of the so called school,yet he can't the see the hazards.Apart from the head person,you have teachers,the parents,board of governors,inspectors and non of them seems to be bothered with the state of that place.

fstranger3:

I really dont see what the hullabaloo is really.

There is more to education than nice and well decorated buildings. Once we look past trivial issues like that, more important things come to the fore. I am more interested in the quality of the teachers than the buildings that make up a school. You can go to the most attractive and best built schools and still amount to nothing. We know, thanks to WAEC, that the best schools in Nigeria over the past decade arent the Sulejas of the World nor the Olashores of this World. As a matter of fact, expensive and well funded schools in most cases lag behind dilapidated state schools, going by WAEC results. It is on record that the highest achieving schools in Nigeria are the little known schools like Oritamefa in Ibadan, Ilesha grammer school, Christ school in Onitsha etc. It is not the building that is going to impact the knowledge into the kids, the teachers do and more than that their fellow students.

All in all, what is more important than education are Knowledge and character, and these two, fortunately, can be taught anywhere, with or without eye catching buildings, including often derided places like Animal farms. As long as there are teachers there ready to teach and shape the character of those kids, I care not what the school buildings look like, very trivial IMHO.

You can't be serious.

It's a refuse dump.

Do good teachers take up positions at refuse dumps?

Rivers is a very rich state, especially on a per capita basis. So obviously there are more resources there for development of schools.

eku_bear:

Rivers is a very rich state, especially on a per capita basis. So obviously there are more resources there for development of schools.

There is simply no excuse to send kids into such a place. In the West, any parent that tries it will have their kids siezed by govt, talkless of govt building such places.
If our various states actually made any money instead of the way we wait for handouts, this inhuman dumps wouldn't exist.

Even jails in other African countries are better, yet we boast the 3rd largest economy. Corruption, wickedness and ineptitude are the only reasons for the existence of almajiri/agbero factories.

What does corruption to do with lack of funds? Give me as much cash per capita as Rivers and I'll send every student in Lagos, nay, the entire SW to wonderful schools.

Issue is a lack of money.

No money => no progress

Imo and Edo States are full of these animal farms.Those are the two states I've taken time to observe their schools.I won't be surprised if it is widespread across Nigeria.

Things are really getting worst

eku_bear:

Rivers is a very rich state, especially on a per capita basis. So obviously there are more resources there for development of schools.

Dude, there is no excuse for allowing children or animals into that building that will surely fall any minute. Go to nearby Togo or Republic of Benin and I bet you will not find public schools as dilapidated as the ones in Nigeria yet they don't have oil.

aloy/emeka:

Dude, there is no excuse for allowing children or animals into that building that will surely fall any minute. Go to nearby Togo or Republic of Benin and I bet you will not find public schools as dilapidated as the ones in Nigeria yet they don't have oil.

Thank you. Nigeria has a very big problem called laziness and its brought on by corruption and getting free money. We desperately need to move to a system where each state actually produces money, is accountable and disciplined.

People who build such schools should be jailed. Why not just put our kids in a zoo?

Beaf:

Thank you. Nigeria has a very big problem called laziness and its brought on by corruption and getting free money. We desperately need to move to a system where each state actually produces money, is accountable and disciplined.

People who build such schools should be jailed. Why not just put our kids in a zoo?

Corruption definitely!!
instead of money to be used equally among people or for the most deserving, you find it being rationed to the highest bidder or among politicians' network.

we do need to start holding our leaders more accountable for the way resources are allocated.

eku_bear:

What does corruption to do with lack of funds? Give me as much cash per capita as Rivers and I'll send every student in Lagos, nay, the entire SW to wonderful schools.

Issue is a lack of money.

No money => no progress

Our foreign reserve just got renewed with an over 30 Billion Dollars deposit(thanks to the chaos up north) and you open your mouth to post there is NO MONEY? Don't you think it is best to STOP now?

Pharoh:

Things are really getting worst

When were they better?.

Kobojunkie:

Our foreign reserve just got renewed with an over 30 Billion Dollars deposit(thanks to the chaos up north) and you open your mouth to post there is NO MONEY? Don't you think it is best to STOP now?

When did any of these monies get distributed to Lagos State?

eku_bear:

When did any of these monies get distributed to Lagos State?

Wait a second . . . .  Now you are trying to excuse this in a state that

a) receives allocations from the Federal for Education?

b) happens to be the one state where we have about the most tax payers in the Nation?

c) a State that  receives about N7.358 billion monthly in Allocations


Please stop! If your own kids, brothers, sisters were attending such schools, I submit that you would be here trying to essentially COME UP with a reason for why this school was allowed to decay to this level.  This situation did not come upon people overnight. It has been the condition for well over 20 years. To suddenly submit that money is the issue in ANY state is unacceptable.