Abaji communities lament dilapidated schools

Three communities, Gulida, Kutara and Tekpeshe in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have lamented the dilapidated state of their primary schools. Even the access roads to the communities are in deplorable condition and it is usually a nightmare plying them, for both residents and visitors. When Aso Chronicle visited the communities […]

Three communities, Gulida, Kutara and Tekpeshe in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have lamented the dilapidated state of their primary schools.
Even the access roads to the communities are in deplorable condition and it is usually a nightmare plying them, for both residents and visitors.
When Aso Chronicle visited the communities last week, it was a hectic journey riding a bike through neighbouring villages of Yangoji, Dafa and Gwoman in Kwali Area Council and then crossing River Gurara by canoe before arriving at the communities.
The state of primary schools infrastructure across the three communities, all in Gurdi ward of the council, could only be described as an eyesore and danger to the lives of the pupils learning in them.
At Gulida, the Local Education Authority (LEA) primary school built years ago has suffered neglect and the structures are in total decay. There was also the absence of basic teaching tools, especially desks and chairs, as most of the pupils squatted on the bare floor while few others sat on broken desks.  
Aso Chronicle gathered that residents of the community, especially parents were thrilled when it was established in 2001, but now they are despairing as the school is crumbling. 
Even in that state of disrepair, pupils from neighbouring villages in Nasarawa State and Zuyi, still trek far distances to attend the school. 
The headmaster of the school, Abubakar Baba, said it had a population of 166 pupils but the figure was going down due to the unconducive environment under which the pupils learn.
Our reporter counted 78 pupils last Thursday when he visited the school. The headmaster happened to be the only person on ground and children were seen playing around the school premises. 
Speaking to Aso Chronicle Baba, said he had spent over 10 years as a teacher in the school, but that the school had been facing a lot of challenges ranging from inadequate learning materials, dilapidated classrooms and lack of desks and chairs.
He said apart from lack of these basic learning tools, he and three other teachers also faced challenges of lack of accommodation, saying the room given to them to stay by the village chief was not convenient for him and his colleagues.
“Actually, a room was given to us by the village chief inside his compound, whereby one has to share bathroom and kitchen with his family and that is not convenient for me. At least, one needs to respect one’s privacy. 
“So what I decided to do was to sleep in the school store where books and other tools are kept. And as you can see, my mattress and stove, cooking pot and bucket are here. This is where I live till Friday when I leave for town, while my colleagues come from Gwagwalada every day to the school,” he said.
He stated that the dilapidated state of the classrooms discouraged pupils from attending school, hence the enrolment figure was dropping. 
“The pupils always stay at home whenever it rains. The roofs are leaking and most of the classrooms have no windows and doors,” he said.
He added: “I have to combine classes 4, 5 and 6 in one classroom to teach them due to lack of desks and chairs.
The other challenge I face here is that these children prefer going to the farm, as sometimes I have to follow them to their houses to talk to their parents,” Baba said.
He further complained about the abandoned one block of three classrooms with store and office, which he said was built since the administration of the former chairman of the council, Alhaji Hassan Sokodabo, adding that another block of classroom which was built beside it and completed is now on the verge of collapse.
Also speaking to Aso Chronicle, the chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school, Umar Awoje, expressed concern over the dilapidated classrooms at the community, a situation he said has posed risk to the lives of the pupils.
He said several efforts have been made by parents to draw the attention of successive administrations of the council on the need to liaise with the FCT primary education board to complete the abandoned one block of three classrooms has remained futile.
“In fact, I have nothing to hide as you can see that the entire school building is in total decay. Apart from lack of learning facilities, teachers have to combine both primary 4, 5 and 6 in one classroom to teach them. I don’t see that as convenient at all,” he said.
At Kutara, the situation was almost the same. The pupils had already closed when our reporter visited but the entire structures were in a state of decay.
Our reporter, who went round the school building observed that some parts o rooftops have blown-off, while the ceilings hanged down loosely. Doors and windows were broken while walls cracked. 
Ayuba Moses, a spokesperson of the community, who spoke with our reporter, complained over the dilapidated state of the school building. He said primary 1, 2 and 3 pupils always sat on the bare floor due to lack of desks and chairs.
He also said teachers always combined primary 4, 5 and 6 pupils inside one classroom to teach them, which he said was not conducive for the pupils to learn. 
He appealed to the incoming administration of the council to liaise with the FCT primary education board to rehabilitate the school and equip it with desks and chairs.  
“In fact, there was a time a committee was set up, on which I was the secretary. We wrote a letter to the Local Education Authority (LEA) in Abaji, to intimate them on the state of our school since late last year, but up till this moment I am talking with you, nothing has been done about the school, despite assurances from them,” he said.  
The situation was the same at the only primary school in Tekpeshe community. Part of the roof of the classroom have been wrecked by rainstorm, while some classroom doors and windows were nowhere to be found.
A teacher at the school, who preferred anonymity, complained that some of the classrooms always leaked whenever it rained. 
“It is only two classrooms we are currently using to teach the pupils, as the remaining classes are leaking especially whenever it rains. This sometimes even prevent the pupils from coming to school. And there is also shortage of chairs,” he said.
Aso Chronicle’s efforts to get the reaction of the Secretary of Local Education Authority (LEA) in Abaji, Alhaji Hassan Suleiman, since on Thursday, through both phone calls and text messages were not successful, even though he later sent a reply on Sunday night promising to respond on Monday, but he didn’t up to the time of going to press.