Teachers, students decry dilapidated school facilities
Junior secondary school section of Mein Grammar School, Ogobiri, in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, originally a group of rural market stalls, but later redesigned for academic purpose,
Junior secondary school section of Mein Grammar School, Ogobiri, in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, originally a group of rural market stalls, but later redesigned for academic purpose, lacks basic educational amenities that foster educational learning.
The school has been in a deplorable condition since it was established, forcing teachers and pupils to teach and learn under harsh environmental conditions.
From its dilapidated, unplastered, algae-infested unpainted walls, to the visible three feet water mark on every school building-a stark reminder of perennial flooding faced by pupils during the rainy season- to its poorly ventilated classrooms, and also its lack of instructional materials such as blackboards, to its broken concrete floors, pupils and teachers study and work under harsh conditions.
In a passionate appeal to government authorities for urgent intervention, teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, appealed to the state and federal governments to come to their aid.
They described learning environment in the school as unsafe and unsuitable.
They said the school building was originally built as a row of market stalls before being converted into classrooms, a situation, they said, accounted for the poor structural condition of the school.
The teachers said absence of perimeter fencing and security personnel made the school vulnerable to vandalism and intrusion.
They said the death of the only security guard previously assigned to the school created a vacuum that needed to be filled.
The teachers said: “The roof is leaking; the classrooms are not conducive for teaching and learning. When it rains, teaching becomes impossible. strangers freely move in and out of the school premises, often disrupting academic activities.”
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Narrating their ordeal, some pupils shared their daily experience.
A JSS 3 pupil, Ambare Samaria, says rains flood the classrooms and wash away writings on the blackboard, making learning difficult.
She lamented absence of desks, chairs, fans and proper roofing.
“When the sun shines, the heat is too much. We are always sweating. We don’t have fans,” she said.
Ambare lamented that they were forced to defecate at a nearby river due to lack of toilets at the school.
A JSS 1 pupil, Kano Justice Michael, said some pupils were exposed to danger, as not everyone could swim.
Jonathan Fear-God, a JSS 2 pupil, noted that classrooms lacked writing boards, forcing teachers to write on bare walls.
The pupils urged Bayelsa State Government, particularly Ministry of Education, and regional interventionist agency such as Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and well-meaning individuals to build classrooms, provide furniture and toilets, and secure the school environment, to ensure effective learning.
