Rainfall sacks students in Kano public schools

The heavy rainfall experienced in Kano last Friday, was not only a sign of the commencement of this year’s wet-season, but also a relief to the biting heat experienced in the state recently. However, the first heavy downpour has sacked students of some public schools in the state metropolis.  The situation at Giginyu Girls Secondary school, the school authority had […]

The heavy rainfall experienced in Kano last Friday, was not only a sign of the commencement of this year’s wet-season, but also a relief to the biting heat experienced in the state recently.

However, the first heavy downpour has sacked students of some public schools in the state metropolis. 

The situation at Giginyu Girls Secondary school, the school authority had no option than to send their students home as most of its classes and the school premises were submerged since Friday.

A visit to the school showed that the school authority has started an effort to dredge the water out of the school premises. According to a member of the school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Malam Basheer Bashir, the blockage of waterways in the area was responsible for the flood.

He said, “This is the first time the school is experiencing such a horrible incident and it is caused by some new residential structures erected around the school recently which blocked the waterways.

“This is the beginning of the rainy season and it has rained only once. What do you expect would happen when the rainy season commenced fully? I think there is need for the school authority, the PTA and members of the community to do something in addition to what the state government will make to address the situation.”

Kano Chronicle observed that the situation seems to be worst in recent years at Hotoron Arewa Primary school, as whenever it rains it means no any learning activity will take place in the school for at least three days.

A visit to the school revealed that the cause of the problem may not be unconnected to lack of good drainage system not only in the school but in the area in general.

Further observations also indicated that the available water passages in the area were blocked and in some cases buildings were erected on such ways.

Some residents, who spoke to our reporter on the issue, blamed the community leaders for allowing people to erect structures on the waterways, thereby preventing smooth flow of  water during the rainy season.

A primary three pupil of the school Usman Bako Tinshama told our reporter that, pupils in the school dreaded rainy season because whenever it rains it means no school for them for some days.

“Whenever it rains, we know that there will be no school for us, and even if our parents insisted that we must go to school, we would be asked to go back home and resume after two or three days. Honestly, we are not happy whenever we see our colleagues from other schools studying while we are at home doing nothing,” Usman said.

Alhaji Balarabe Wudil, is the chairman School Based Management Committee (SBMC) of the school, told our reporter that the committee had made several attempts to see that the 44-year old school regain its lost glory.

“We have written letters of complaint and sent reminders to the state ministry of education about the condition of the school, yet nothing has been done. Unfortunately we kept on experiencing the problem annually,” Wudil said.
The case at Kano capital school seems to be a little different as the school PTA had already identified the situation and got approval to construct drainage to save the school from perennial flood lodging the
school’s premises.

However the move, according to the PTA’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Sunusi Abdullahi, was obstructed by the refusal of the school’s coordinator to release funds appropriated for the construction of the drainage in the school.

He said, “We have secured the authority’s approval to construct drainage to avert future occurrence of the perennial incident that usually sacked students from their classes for days, but the school’s coordinator refused to release the money.

“We hope and pray that, the coordinator will see reasons and allow for the approved work to commence as the situation is getting worst again this year.”

When contacted, the School’s Coordinator, Hajiya Ramatu Yunusa said she was not given any request by the PTA adding that the construction of the drainage in the school was initiated by the school’s old boys association not the PTA.

According to her, it was when the PTA was brought into the issue that things started to change direction leading to the delay in the execution of the project.

She further revealed that, it was unfortunate  that the leadership of the PTA resorted to false allegation and character assassination instead of dialogue, adding that the drainage in the school would be constructed as planned.

All attempts to get authorities of the Kano State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) to comment on the issue proved abortive as top officials of the board were said to be in a meeting and no one was ready to comment on the issue.