By Umar Akilu Majeri,Dutse
As Jigawa state government continues sinking millions of naira into her education system, the students of primary schools and junior secondary schools continue to receiving the short end of the bargain. This is as 247ureports.com gathered that a majority of the students in Dutse local government receive their lessons on bare ground/flour while others receive their lessons under trees.
Particularly, our investigation gathered that the students of zobiya primary school – presently receive lessons under trees. Zobiya primary is located 30 minutes away from Dutse, the state capital. It has a population of pupils of 580 in the school. The entire school had only four [4] teachers.
The school has no toilets for pupils or teachers – both have to ease themselves inside the bush – despite the money supposedly spent by MDGs and Jigawa state government to build toilets to eradicate the menace of open defecation in the state.
When 247ureports.com contacted the village head of zobiya villge Alhaji Aliyu Suleiman, he expressed his concern – that their children are facing serious problem on education because the primary and junior secondary schools do not have adequate teachers or toilets or enough classrooms. He added that their water system have been giving problems in the last six months.
Our reporter also visited Warwade primary school along sakwya village in Dutse local government area. The school has a total number of 285 pupils. The school had no source of water or toilets. It was gathered that a large number of the student rejected coming to school because of the lacking basic facilities. There are only four teachers in the school.
Our reporter also visited Sakwaya central primary school. The school had a pupil strength of over 888. Pupils from Primary 1 to Primary 4 were observed by 247ureports.com receiving lessons on bare flour in their classes and it was observed that majority of the windows and doors were removed. Only seven [7] classrooms were being used. The school did not have fencing.
Sakwaya central primary school was among the oldest primary school in Dutse local government. The school was established in 1967 under the then Kano State.
The headmasters running the schools refused to comment when our reporter contacted them to speak on the condition of the schools. But the permanent secretary to the ministry of education Alhaji Abdullahi Hudu spoke with 247ureports.om. He stated that the ministry was not aware of the problem ravaging the schools but he promised he will find out from the agencies concerned.
The executive secretary of SUBEB, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi spoke to 247ureports.com. He stated that the Jigawa state government has begun building structures in schools to reduce the shortage of classes in the schools – that ongoing projects of renovation of classes is still going on in most of the primary schools in the state. He explained further that he discovered abandoned class rooms in kiyawa local government and discovered that jigawar tsada primary
Schools are having shortage of class rooms.
He added that the state in its record has a population of over 60,000 pupils in primary schools in the state. The secretary blamed the contractors who are responsible for the supplied of tables and chairs meant for schools for their inability to supply the materials to schools in the state.
He continued that if their budget was approved by the state government the board will supply over one million furniture for schools in the state with a view to eradicate the menace of inadequacy of seating materials in primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
He said the board is facing financial problem that has not allowed the board to solve its problems. He explained that the board is only receiving its financial support from the federal government once in a year. He said that the board has lack of manpower because the board used to penalize the teachers who absconded from duty.
In all, our investigation gathered that the four schools visited by our reporter had a total number of 1676 pupil in which over 670 student were receiving their daily lesson under trees.
