By Sabiu Abdullahi
A growing number of public primary schools in rural communities across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are battling severe infrastructural decay, a situation that has forced many pupils to learn on bare floors, under leaking roofs and beneath trees.
Findings first reported by TheCable revealed that several schools in communities such as Yangoji East, Kigbe, Ebo, Gbagbalagbe and Makanima lack basic facilities needed for effective learning.
At LEA Nomadic Primary School in Yangoji East, pupils attend classes under makeshift shelters made from dried palm fronds and weak tree branches. The school, which was established in 2020, reportedly has no proper classroom structures, chairs or desks.
Nine-year-old Badiku Saliu, one of the pupils, said the harsh learning conditions discourage him from attending school regularly.
“I don’t feel comfortable during rainy seasons, but there is nothing I can do, so I skip school,” Saidu said in Fulfulde.
The pupil explained that the lack of infrastructure has weakened his interest in formal education despite his ambition to become a teacher.
The report stated that nearly 100 pupils in the school face similar conditions daily. During rainfall, classes are often disrupted because there are no secure structures to shield the children and their teachers.
Adamu Bauchi, a parent whose children attend the school, appealed to authorities to provide learning facilities.
“I ensure that my children go to school every day, even though learning occurs under trees. I want the government to provide boreholes, chairs, desks, tables, buildings, and other important things to aid learning,” Bauchi said.
The head teacher, Ladi Danlami, also described the school environment as unsuitable for teaching and learning.
“We demarcated the school into two classes because of a lack of structure and seats. The students sit on the bare floor, and some who can provide sacks sit on them while the teacher sits on these benches,” she said.
“The children and parents are discouraged, and they complain. We have also complained and written to authorities like the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and the Nomadic Commission.”
She added: “The school has nothing – no chairs, tables, or structures – and if rain falls, we cannot come to school, or we have to run home.”
At LEA Primary School, Kigbe, many pupils reportedly sit or lie on dusty classroom floors until they reach primary five before gaining access to chairs and desks.
“There are no chairs until primary 5. When I was in primary one, the pupils in primary 5 and 6 had chairs,” a pupil, Ibrahim Sheyemi, said.
“We are only managing the chairs,” she added.
Another pupil, Abdulrasak Aliyu, recalled that he spent years writing while lying on the floor.
“I started writing on the desk in primary six,” he said.
Teachers at the school also lamented the shortage of facilities. Dauda Dogara, the school’s desk officer, said both teachers and pupils struggle daily because of the poor learning environment.
“I share the chair with my students, and we don’t even have a table,” Dogara noted.
He said many pupils leave school before lessons end because of discomfort and health challenges linked to sitting on the floor.
At LEA Primary School in Ebo, over 50 pupils reportedly share only a few chairs with their teachers inside a mud-walled building.
“There are more than 50 pupils in the school, but many of them don’t come because we don’t have enough seats,” teacher Muhammed Dauda said.
“As you can see, the environment is not conducive. If not because it is government work, no one would leave the comfort of their home to come and sit here,” he added.
The situation at LEA Primary School, Makanima, was also described as unsafe after parts of the roof and ceiling reportedly collapsed due to poor maintenance.
“I am not happy to see our community school like this. The ceiling, the zinc, and the entire roof are damaged. Even if the children arrive by 7 a.m., once it starts raining, they have to return home,” a parent, Michael Monday, said.
The school’s head teacher, Alfred Katunga, warned that both pupils and teachers face danger whenever they enter the classrooms.
“It is not only the roof that is bad. The ceiling is also in a terrible condition and could fall at any time. We continue to teach while praying that none of the materials will fall and injure the children,” Katunga said.
“Whenever there is any sign of rain, the only precaution we take is to close the school. Even if the children resume by 7 a.m. and rain starts 10 minutes later, we have to send them home because we cannot risk their lives,” he added.
According to the report, several schools in rural parts of the FCT also lack toilets, perimeter fencing and adequate classrooms. Teachers and pupils reportedly resort to nearby bushes to relieve themselves.
TheCable reported that efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCTUBEB), Patience Agonsi, were unsuccessful.
