Kuje school appeals for furniture, books

Buzunkure is a relatively big community adjacent the 1000 Housing Units in Kuje, FCT, but the only public primary school there, lacks basic facilities. The old two blocks of six classrooms do not have adequate desks for  the teeming pupils as some of them squat on mats on the floor. The school does not have […]

Buzunkure is a relatively big community adjacent the 1000 Housing Units in Kuje, FCT, but the only public primary school there, lacks basic facilities.
The old two blocks of six classrooms do not have adequate desks for  the teeming pupils as some of them squat on mats on the floor. The school does not have a library either, and the few books it can boast of are kept in what passes for a staff room.
The primary three pupils do not even have a classroom so they borrow a class from the Agency for Mass Literacy, popularly called Adult Education, situated across the road.
Similarly, the Local Education Authority (LEA) primary school’s toilets are a mess as the sewer has carved in, exposing filth, polluting the environment and attracting hordes of flies.
However, luckily for the LEA primary school, the Society for Community Development (SCD), with assistance from Action Aid Nigeria, has waded in to rescue the situation.
The SCD has constructed a block of three classrooms, which also have the headmaster’s office and a library. Four toilets were also built and a borehole sunk for the school, all at the cost of N10. 5 million.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SCD, Mr. A. Apoede Atsegbua, said his group entered into agreement with LEA, Kuje, and the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) FCT, whereby, the two government agencies will furnish the structures after they were built.
But six months after SCD had completed the buildings, they are still under lock and key, waiting for government to fulfill its part of the agreement.
Atsegbua said he and his team had held series of meetings with the relevant government agencies but nothing positive had come out of them.
He said besides putting up the structures, as development partners, they were interested in seeing that the government, aside from furnishing the classrooms and equipping the library, posts female teachers to the school.
“There is increase in enrollment in the school because of our advocacy and we will not rest on our oars in trying  to see that the rural folks also feel the impact of government in their lives,” he said.
Speaking with Aso Chronicle, assistant headmaster of the school, Mr. Yunusa Bako Zakari, said the school lacked office space, classrooms, furniture, books, water and toilets but with the intervention of SCD, he was optimistic that those challenges would be addressed.
He expressed disappointment that it was taking government such a long time to fulfill its promise.
He lamented that the toilets were in such an unhygienic state that if something was not done urgently, they may become a breeding place for diseases.
“We have shortage of classrooms and we borrowed a class from the Adult Education agency because their classes hold in the afternoon. But anytime they ask us to vacate we will have to put the children under tree shade. We are supposed to start nursery classes but because of shortage of rooms, we haven’t.
“The old toilets have collapsed and it is unhealthy to continue using them. We are appealing to government to furnish the classrooms and library, and to commission the toilets so that we can give our best to the pupils,” he said.
The Etsu Buzunkure, Malam Musa Kaura, also appealed to government authorities to provide enough desks and chairs for both the old classes and the newly built ones, to enable the pupils learn in a conducive environment.
“Even in the old classes, our children still sit on the floor because there are no enough seats. I am appealing to government to fulfill its part of the bargain and also do more. The government should build a fence round the school and employ security guard to secure the facilities in the school,” the chief said.
Efforts to speak with the Local Education Authority Secretary for Kuje Area Council, Mr Sunday Kaka, failed as he did not reply a text message sent to his mobile phone. He also did not pick his phone calls. 
When contacted, the Director, FCT Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Adamu Jatau Noma, said he could not make a categorical statement about the project because he had been away and just returned to the board about two weeks ago.
He said he was present at the foundation laying of the project but did not know if it had been completed and handed over to the government.
He  however said he would send people there and then call SCD officials for a meeting so that the necessary action would be taken.