Kebbi community laments deplorable state of Falende primary school
NAN-H-58
Dilapidation
By Shuaibu Tatu
Falende (Kebbi) Oct.16, 2017 (NAN) The village head of Falende Community in Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi, Malam Muhammad Makwashe, on Monday appealed to the government to rehabilitate the dilapidated Model Primary School in the area.
Makwashe made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Falende.
He said that the school, established in 1968, had suffered neglect while the structures were in total decay.
According to the community leader, the school lacks adequate furniture and other teaching aids, as most pupils sit on the floor and broken desks, to learn.
“We are urging the state and local governments to come to our aid, by rehabilitating the school and providing an enabling environment for the pupils to learn.
“I want to use this opportunity to beg the state and local governments to pay attention to the school because our children are our investment.
“So, we would not like to play with their future,” he said.
The Headmaster of the school, Malam Aliyu Ibrahim, said the school had a population of 455 pupils.
He said that the figure was going down gradually due to the harsh environment under which the pupils learn.
Ibrahim said the school had been facing a lot of challenges ranging from inadequate learning materials, dilapidated classrooms and lack of chalk, desks and chairs.
A resident of the village, Mr Abubakar Zaki, advised the state government to rehabilitate the school because it posed a great danger to the lives of the pupils.
“We are not happy with the terrible condition of the school because it is an eyesore.
“Our children have right to school in an environment conducive like other children in the state,” he said.
Zaki said that the dilapidated classrooms had discouraged pupils from attending school, adding they stayed at home when it rained.
NAN reports that some parts of the buildings’ roofs had been blown-off, while the ceilings had worn out.
Some of the doors and windows were also broken.
Alhaji Balarabe Abdulmumini, the Acting Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) confirmed that Falende Model Primary School, was among the schools earmarked for total rehabilitation in the 2017 action plan.
Abdulmumini said the Kebbi SUBEB had inherited some uncompleted projects since it came on board.
It said the state government was planning to renovate all primary schools in the 21 local government areas of the state, including the provision of furniture, toilets and computers in them. (NAN)
SZT/FLP/AFA
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Felix Ajide