Investigation Reveals: Dire Deterioration Plagues Government School in FCT, Abuja

Students inside a classroom with a shattered roof and seemingly unsafe building at Dei-dei LEA Pry School in FCT. Photo Credit: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
The deterioration of education standards in government schools within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been a matter of grave concern, attributed to various factors including low teacher morale, insufficient funding, and poor infrastructure.

Among the institutions is the Zhibi LEA Primary School, situated in Dei-Dei under the Bwari Area Council, established in 2011 with the aim of providing quality and accessible education to the local community.

Dei-dei is situated along the Kubwa expressway within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It is a sizable area with a population estimated to range between 50,000 and 100,000 residents.

The district encompasses several quarters, including Fillin Dabo, Saburi, Pazzari, Shagari, Bagusa, and several other smaller towns. Notably, it hosts the largest building material market in Northern Central Nigeria, serving as a significant hub for commerce within the FCT.

Crumbling infrastructure and inadequate facilities in schools in the FCT
Despite its noble mission, the school is in a dire state of neglect, evident in its crumbling infrastructure and inadequate facilities.

With both primary and nursery sections accommodating over 800 pupils, the classrooms are overcrowded, with approximately 40 students per classroom.

Our investigation revealed that, due to a shortage of chairs, teachers are compelled to sit on students’ chairs in the classroom. Photo Credit: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

Despite being founded over 13 years ago, the school still struggles with a dearth of resources, with 826 pupils attended by a mere 59 teachers.

An investigation by Radio Nigeria revealed appalling conditions at Zhibi LEA Primary School
Pupils are compelled to endure lessons while seated on bare floors in open-roofed classrooms, exposing them to the elements of the environment and risking their safety.

The structural integrity of the classrooms is compromised, with weakened walls and missing roofing, exacerbated by frequent rainfall.

Some classrooms have become makeshift shelters for wandering goats during the night, resulting in damage to windows and doors.

Sitting on the floor while attending class. Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
Pupils sitting on the floor due to lack of chairs
Pupils in a dilapidated classroom Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
Pupils sitting on the floor due to lack of chairs. Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
One of the blocks of classrooms with a shattered roofs, as the pupils still stay in these classroom. Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
Sitting on the floor while attending class. Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
Pupils sitting on the floor due to lack of chairs
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One of the blocks of classrooms with a shattered roofs, as the pupils still stay in these classroom. Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria
Classrooms from Primary One to Four are weak and could collapse at any moment if urgent steps are not taken to replace the roofing and enable students to learn in a conducive atmosphere.

According to Mr. Abubakar Adami, the head teacher, the plight worsens during the rainy season, forcing either cramming pupils into staff rooms or sending them home due to leaking roofs.

The absence of essential amenities such as water and toilet facilities leaves both teachers and pupils reliant on nearby bushes to “answer the call to nature,” thus practicing open defecation.

‘Children sit on the ground because there is not enough for them, and as soon as the rain starts, learning will stop. We are appealing to the FCT Minister and the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, to come to our aid’’ he appealed.

One of the teachers said, “The roofing sheets were removed and have been for a long time and left like that.”

Other teachers urged the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, to give the school a facelift and build more structures, as the dilapidated ones pose a serious danger to the pupils.

“Children are packed in one classroom, for Primary 1, we have three arms together in one classroom. Primary 2 is the same thing, Primary 3. We have A, B, C, and D classes in one; we need structures’’. They lamented.

Pupils call for urgent action to improve learning conditions
Two students in upper primary classes, Felicity Ausa and Samuel Alia, made a heartfelt appeal to the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to enhance their learning environment. They expressed their discomfort due to the scorching sun and lack of proper roofing in the classrooms.

We are not comfortable in the class, because of the hot sun, we appealed to the FCT Minister, Nysom Wike to help us put roofing sheets to cover our classrooms, we are begging, he should help us….we do not have enough chair, no toilet, no water and no playground.’’ They stated.

They pleaded for immediate intervention to address these deficiencies, stressing the importance of conducive learning environments for quality education.

Echoing their sentiments, Mr. Abdullahi Sale, the focal person of the FCT Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All, emphasised the need for infrastructure development and increased funding for government primary schools in the FCT.

He highlighted the sorry state of many schools across the six-area council, urging FCT UBEC to monitor its intervention fund to restore the lost glory of government schools.

‘’I have visited the six-area council, most of the school are in a sorry condition, except the ones in the city centre, UBEB should monitor its intervention fund to regain the lost glory of Government schools in FCT.’

Established in accordance with the UBE Law of 2004, the FCT UBE Board has the mandate to provide quality basic education, including early child care, primary, junior secondary, and nomadic education.

Recognising the significance of primary education as a foundation for the future, Sale stressed the importance of supporting every child to excel in life.

The teachers and pupils of Zhibi LEA Primary School in Dei-Dei, Abuja, eagerly anticipate a transformed learning environment before the commencement of the third term session.

Their expectation is for the school to undergo renovations and improvements to facilitate effective teaching and learning.