It will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to visit Wowo Primary School, Ajegunle. Located in a suburb in Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA, the school is hidden far away from the eyes of the state government. Fashola’s broom is yet to sweep away the dirt and rot ravaging the school, leaving the pupils and their teachers with ashes on their heads. Not even the faith of the school as coded in her anthem: “we nurture great leaders for brighter tomorrow” could heal the sickening rot.
Education Review discovered the school recently when members of Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial (DOAM) Foundation took their Back to School programme to the area. The foundation wiped the pupils’ tears by distributing study materials: school bags, water can and exercise books. Although the pupils and their teachers were consoled by the momentary relief the compassionate group offered, it was obvious from their dilapidated surroundings that urgent intervention was needed to save them from prolonged agony.
Dilapidated buildings, classrooms without doors or windows, holed walls, leaking roofs and inadequate teachers were like deadly virus eating the life of the school. The pathetic sight of pupils sitting in discomfort in rickety classrooms, covering their faces with clothes before they could use the stinking school toilet, was very hard to bear.
Our reporter had to turn his eyes away when some of the grown-up school girls briskly pulled their skirts down to have a quick ‘wee’ at the entrance of the toilet. The shame of exposing their nakedness seemed better than the risk of contracting infection inside the cockroach-infested toilet, reeking with choking pungent smell.
A quick look at the school revealed its gory state. Right from the metallic brown gate, where dirty pool of water overflowed the narrow gutter and washed the joy of learning off the hearts of peasant pupils, it was clear that glory of learning has since departed from the area. The beautiful words of the school anthem written on the peeling wall mocked its purpose, a clear irony to the stinking rot within the premises. To say the least, the school is another case study in neglect. Beneath the beautiful anthem of the school lies an unimaginable unprintable rot and ugliness. The anthem reads:
We the scholars of Wowo Nursery
and Primary School come together to
achieving (sic) success
We go forward ever and backward never
We nurture great leaders
For brighter tomorrow
Although the beautiful anthem was designed to uplift the minds of the pupils, reciting it every morning seemed like a sorrowful reminder of the fact that they live at the dark side of Lagos. For instance, the school has only 13 teachers, despite an increasing population of 665 pupils. Wooden benches for the pupils and teachers remain grossly inadequate. Squash drawings by pupils pasted on the naked wall served as visual aids in the classroom. With broken walls and windows, pupils and teachers are drenched in showers of pain in the classrooms during rainy days. Despite these pitiable woes, repeated appeals by the school management to the state government for help fell on the rock.
POOR FACILITIES HINDER LEARNING
Our reporter gathered that the buildings in the school were as old as Methuselah. The wrinkles of age run across the walls and roofs of the buildings, despite the self-help efforts and renovation work carried out by SUBEB in 2012. Another classroom block, renovated by Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government in 2008, had a sagging roof, while the white corrugated iron sheets of both buildings now wear brown face of old age.
Inside the classrooms, wooden boards used to divide the various arms in the long hall of the building have been eaten off by termites. In such setting, concentration would be difficult during lessons, as activities in the nearby class would quickly steal the attention of pupils in another class. To say it all, truancy would not be ruled out as a popular trade in such a crowded school.
The Head Teacher of the school, Oladoja Sitifat Titilayo, looked embarrassed beyond words when none of the pupils in Primary 1-4 could spell the words, ‘international’ or ‘federal’ when the question was put across to them by Miss Sorochi Ugorji, the Programme Officer for DOAM Foundation. Efforts by our reporter to speak with 12-year-old Abubakar Alabi, a Primary 4 pupil in English seemed like a dialogue of the deaf, as he kept stuttering in ‘pidgin’. With relative difficulty, he said, “I want the government to do good things for us. Our toilet is smelling.”
One of his classmates mocked him for his inability to communicate fluently in English, and he sprang up like a wounded lion, lashing out at him, “You dey craze. I go blow your head now.” Although Alabi lost his tongue in the discussion, Faruk Moruf, who has been claiming the first position right from Primary 1 to Primary 6, proved to be the shining star of the school. He expressed his joy to DOAM Foundation in good English saying, “The materials will improve my zeal for learning. I am happy. I will work harder,” he said.
When Education Review asked the Head Teacher whether teachers were responsible for the poor performance of the pupils, she expressed contrary views and blamed it on the poor environment in the area. “Our teachers are competent but the environment could affect pupils’ performance. The teachers are really diligent. We have 13 teachers here and nine non-tutorial members of staff. We are managing the teachers we have. The fact is that some of the pupils do not have writing materials. At times, you see them using one exercise book for three or four subjects. That is not proper. We have been telling their parents that the government cannot do everything for them, but they kept complaining of the economic situation of the country,” she said.
Oladoja who have been in the teaching profession for over 30 years, said the school has large population of pupils, despite the overstretched facilities in the area. She pleaded with the government to provide the school with proto-type building that would serve the pupils’ accommodation needs.
“We don’t have toilets. The one we have is not enough for all the boys and girls in the school. Most of the classrooms are in dilapidated form. We have written to SUBEB. The parents’ forum is aware of this challenge. We are pleading with the government to give us a proto-type building because we are many. We need toilet facilities, library and computers, chairs. We lack seats. We went to neighbouring schools to plead with them to send us desks if they have, but we are yet to get any. We want the school to become the best among equals, the number one school in Ajeromi and in the whole country. That is my dream,” she said.
Ray of hope
The distribution of the education materials in the poor school by DOAM Foundation was like a sunny day in the dark alley of the school. The programme Manager, DOAM Foundation, Mrs. Clare Henshaw, said the foundation took up the project of equipping over 1,500 pupils in public schools located in Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA with educational materials worth over $24,000 USD to boost their zeal for learning and to promote academic excellence.
Aside pupils of Wowo Primary School, those from Araromi Primary School, New Road Primary, Ajeromi Primary School and Oluwa Nursery and Primary School also benefitted from the programme. The teachers were also not left out, as they also got school bags and other materials.
“Equipping school children with these essential educational materials can be comforting for many pupils. The Back-to-School programme is an opportunity to ensure that parents who struggle with meeting the basic supplies of their children have a sense of stability and inclusion. Visitations to schools afforded the Foundation the opportunity to identify and reward intelligent pupils, including offering scholarships to the intelligent orphaned and vulnerable ones,” she said.
Henshaw said over seven schools in Lagos, Imo and Edo states have benefitted from DOAM Foundation’s Back-to-School programme since 2012. She urged corporate organizations and philanthropists to imitate the gesture for good of the society. On the selection of schools in Ajegunle, Hensaw said the community requires the support of both the government and corporate bodies to address the issue of poverty and infrastructure.
Despite the challenges facing the school, the Head Teacher, Oladoja Titilayo, welcomed her guests with a smiling face. Also present at the event were His Royal Highness, Baale Kayode I.A Okunlola (Akeresebierin II of Ibafon Town), the Education Secretary of the LGA, Honourable Adewale Adeogun, as well as some desperate parents, who rushed to the school to guarantee that their children weren’t left out of the sharing of the free school bags.
Government cannot do it alone, says Education Secretary
The Education Secretary of the LGA, Honourable Adewale Adeogun Adewale Adeogun, admitted the challenges facing the school, but noted that they won’t hinder learning in the area. He maintained that the state government has done well for schools in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area.
Adeogun, who is the chairman of Education Secretaries in Lagos State, said the government renovated or reconstructed seven schools in the area. He urged corporate organisation and philanthropists to partner with the government to address some of the nagging challenges facing public schools.
“Government is trying. So many of our schools have been reconstructed or renovated. We will get there one day. The consolation is that our children are learning and they are learning quite well. In fact, this our local government has the best schools in Nigeria today. We are proud of that. We are doing something to upgrade it. The Lagos State government has been here to look at the facilities and work out plans for upgrading it. As I am speaking with you, the state government is working on seven schools in our local government right now. We are looking at the 2015 intervention to come to Wowo. Wowo is one of our best schools. You can see the level of the children. The school is going to be reconstructed,” he assured.
The Education Secretary said the NBC recently donated materials to the pupils of Christ Academy Primary School, while Airtel took over one of our schools, buying books for the children and a lot of things. He commended the DOAM Foundation for its Back-to-School programme, describing it as a motivation to the pupils.
“So many other organisations have been coming to partner with us. But this one is unique because that name, DOAM Foundation, was named after a child who died in an accident. We pray that his soul will rest in peace. I will speak with the parents of the late Daniel so that we can immortalise him in this area. We can probably name a sporting event after him. If there is a way that the Foundation can help to renovate one or two of our schools, we would be glad. We are looking up more organisations to come in,” he said.
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