Students still underfed, engage in menial jobs to argument feeding

Gen Hassan Usman Katsina Unity College (GHUKUC) Bauchi State, formerly Bauchi Teachers College (BTC), is one of the historic schools in northern Nigeria.

Established in 1923, the school which has produced prominent Nigerians, including former governor of Gombe State Danjuma Goje and the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, among others, is now a shadow of itself. Located at the Yelwa area of Bauchi metropolis, directly opposite Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) township campus, the once prestigious school now begs for government attention and intervention.

Recall that in October, the school was in the news when the state Commissioner of Education, Dr Aliyu Usman Tilde, sacked the principal, the storekeeper, and kitchen master for underfeeding the students. Dr. Tilde, in a press statement issued in Bauchi, had said the affected officers were found serving the food of 350 students to over 1200 students despite the fact that government provided sufficient food items to all its 35 boarding schools before school resumption.

The commissioner had said that a robust high-tech arrangement for monitoring of students meals along with designated resident food police would be deployed to all boarding secondary schools in the state, insisting that the era of starving boarding students will become history in the state. However, a visit to GHUKUC reveals years of neglect which has resulted in dilapidated facilities. “Students do not sleep in the hostel at night when it rains because most of the roofs leak,” a teacher said. Students defecate in the open, a situation that exposes them to environmental hazards, and there is a refuse dump right inside the school premises.

Members of the host community have created many illegal pathways into the school premises, exposing the students to the dangers of insecurity. Some parts of an abandoned hostel have become sanctuary for reptiles as bushes have taken over the surrounding areas. Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that most of the problems that prompted the sacking of the former principal have not been solved. “We have returned to the half plate, two small pieces of Akara and half cup of Akamu feeding regimen. There are no drugs in the dispensary and the new principal is rigid; he hardly listens to students unlike his predecessor.

When it is time for break, he personally stays at the entrance of the dining hall and if you come late, he turns you back,” a student said. The two persons fired alongside the former principal were said to have come back to their duty posts, and all efforts to get the reaction of the new principal proved abortive. Some students who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday said the feeding situation is still the same even after sacking the former principal of the school.

A Senior Secondary 1 student of the school Adamu Isa (not his real name) said, “We usually come with food items from home, cook and eat to complement what we are given in school. We are all used to the little food, which is why majority of the students engage in menial jobs or run errands for residents for a fee.” Another student said, “I go to a nearby restaurant to wash plates or fetch water to get what I will eat because the food in the school is too small to satisfy me. We go to ATBU and fetch water for their staff or wash clothes and other house chores to generate little money to buy food and other pressing needs,” another senior student said.

“Before our former principal was sacked, we used to cook food under the tree behind our dining hall. Many students who have food items gather under the tree between 4 and 5pm and prepare their meals, while others go to food vendors to buy,” a student told Daily Trust. There was however a mild drama during the visit when this reporter narrowly escaped being assaulted. Some staff members had ‘arrested’ him at the hostel and dragged him to the principal, despite identifying himself.

“Why did you bring him here without correcting his mistake? You should have first punished him before bringing him to my office. You are very lucky Mr. Journalist that the students were not at the hostel; they would have beaten you up for coming into our school to take photographs without our permission,” the principal said. As teachers and other staff stormed the principal’s office to see the alleged trespasser, the vice principal forced our reporter to delete all the pictures taken at the school before he was allowed to go.

All efforts to get the reaction of the commissioner of education, Dr Aliyu Tilde, on the challenges facing the school were unsuccessful.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/inside-bauchi-unity-school-where-principal-was-fired-for-starving-students.html

Dr. Tilde, in a press statement issued in Bauchi, had said the affected officers were found serving the food of 350 students to over 1200 students despite the fact that government provided sufficient food items to all its 35 boarding schools before school resumption.

The govt released to the principal with 20% kickback..

The principal released to the kitchen with 20% kickback..

The kitchen released to the student with 20% kickback..

Rather than apply to be part of the cooking team, purchase team, servers even set up a farm, supply and earn legitimately.. we would rather steal from the source with no work input whatsoever.