Penultimate week, it was a long, big snake that was
killed inside the school premises by the students. A
week after, the students were seen writing their
promotional examinations on bare floor. SEYI
SOKOYA, who witnessed the two unpleasant
scenarios among others, at the Urban Day Grammar School, Ibadan, Oyo State, reports.
THE name of the school is Urban Day Grammar
School, but what was witnessed in the last two
weeks were far from being urban in nature. Infact,
situations in rural areas are far better that what
was witnessed. Findings by the Sunday Tribune indicated that
killing of reptiles in the school is a weekly affair.
Some residents in the area stated that what was
news in the school is when a week passed without
sighting snakes or other dangerous reptiles in the
school premises, that unusual romance with reptiles is the norm in the school.
The academic environment, no doubt, is in a sorry
state, just as the pupils had been subjected to
environmental hazards, threat to life all in the
quest to get quality education.
At Urban Day Grammar School, there is no fence, no gate and no good structures. The roof of the
principal’s office is a big drain. The multi-purpose
hall in the compound is surrounded by bush. Ditto
the toilet. There is an abandoned red block of six
classrooms said to have been built by the late Chief
Bola Ige’s administration. The library, the Home Economics laboratory and all other classrooms were
all begging for attention.
It was observed that virtually all the classrooms that
are habitable in the school have no chairs and
desks. This, perhaps, informed the decision of the
students to find an alternative since their promotional examinations were on.
The students, mostly Senior Secondary School (SSS 1
and 11), were seen writing their examinations on
bare floor. It was learnt that that was not the first
time such would happen in the school, as some of
the students told the Sunday Tribune that “this is not our first time. We are used to it. What matters
most to us is to pass the examinations.’’
Sunday Tribune’s effort to interact with the
principal or any other staff of the school did not
yield any result, as they refused to speak or give
necessary information, especially on the present state of the school. When approached, the school
principal who even refused to mention her name,
said: “It would be better if you speak with my
employer. I have nothing to say except I have an
approval from above.”
Most of the students who spoke with the Sunday Tribune could not give any reason why they should
write their examinations on bare floor. All they
could say was “we don’t have enough chairs in the
school and we have to write our examinations.”
It was also learnt that the school had initial
population of 300 registered students both at the junior and senior secondary school levels, but had
been reduced to 200 students as a result of
unbearable condition of the school, which, it was
learnt, that forced many parents to withdraw their
children.
This, it was said, could be one of the reasons the school has only six pupils in the JSS1 class.
The chairman of the Parents Teachers Association
(PTA) of the school, Mr Mukaila Osuolale Adepoju,
lamented the present state of the school, stressing
that the school authorities, in collaboration with
the PTA, had, at various times, complained to the authorities about the poor condition of the school
without getting any response.
“This school was worse before I became the
chairman of the PTA. We had lodged complaints
about the situation of the school to the
government. I was aware that the principal further wrote a letter attached with pictures of the school
to the commissioner for education. They promised
to come and inspect and they did not show up. This
was about two years ago. We also wrote another
letter last week on the same subject matter but we
are yet to have their response,” he added. Adepoju stated further that the school needed to be
attended to in time so as to ameliorate the
sufferings that the students are being subjected to
on a daily basis. “Some students had fallen victim
of molest on their way home. The school
authorities have lost count of snakes they have been killed within the school premises.
“We even had a molest case at the police station.
The science laboratory has been burgled three
times. Aside the fact that we have been calling on
the government for assistance we, as parents, have
done our bit by rebuilding the damaged science laboratory and replacing the library roof. The only
two classrooms that the whole students are
currently using were donated by the past
government.”
“It is unfortunate that the 40 chairs and tables
donated by ZARTECH Company after we sought their assistance have been damaged by hoodlums. This
has really caused setback for the smooth academic
activities of the school and convenience of the
students,” he explained.
A resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity, told
Sunday Tribune that the pupils, by virtue of their present condition could be exposed to more serious
heath problem.
Another resident, who spoke in the same light,
expressed the fears that students who are exposed
to this type of danger are likely to face severe
consequences later in life. An octogenerean whose house is close to the school
maintained: “I see no reason why this school has
not received the attention of the government in
spite of the fact that the school is very close to
Adeoyo Hospital and the Access to Basic Medical
Care Foundation (ABMCF) a non-governmental organisation (NGO) powered by the wife of the
state governor.” http://tribune.com.ng/quicklinkss/features/
item/10460-secondary-school-where-reptiles-learn-
with-students
Category Archives: News
APC Calls For Inquiry To Unravel Boko Haram
Sponsors, Modus Operandi by BashBB: 2:38pm On Jul 13 The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an
international inquiry into the activities of the terror
group Boko Haram in order to unravel its modus
operandi and sponsors as well as any individual or
group that may have links with the insurgents, with
a view to ending, once and for all, the debate over who is behind the insurgency and also to facilitate
efforts to tackle it decisively
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
the party said the inquiry should include
intelligence experts from the US, UK, France and Canada, as well as representatives of the UN and
Nigeria’s neighbours Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
It also said that representatives of the Nigerian
military and other security agencies, especially the
police and the Departments of State Security,
Governments of the states worst-hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, including Adamawa, Borno,
Yobe, Kano, Bauchi and Jigawa, the Federal Capital
Territory, the Christian Association of Nigeria, the
Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Civil Society
Organisations, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the
Trade Union Congress, National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association and any
other relevant individuals or groups.
APC said major political parties, including the
Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives
Congress, must be represented on the panel of
inquiry, whose findings must be made public and those found to have any links with the insurgents
be made to face the full wrath of the law.
”We hope the PDP-led federal government, which
has led the incessant but baseless campaign to
point accusing fingers at the opposition, especially
our party the APC, will give its total support to the immediate constitution of this international panel
of inquiry. We have no doubt that the international
community will give its unalloyed support to this
inquiry, in view of the trans-national nature of the
insurgency and the threat posed by terrorism to
global peace and security,” the party said. APC added: ”On our part, we pledge our total
support for this inquiry anytime it is launched, but
hopefully very soon. Our party, which is barely one
year old, has been at the receiving end of
diversionary, carefully-choreographed and blatantly
irresponsible point-blank accusations as well as insinuations of sponsoring Boko Haram, not
minding that the group’s activities date as far back
as 2002 when there was no APC.
”These accusations and insinuations have become
so virulent and have indeed reached a level where
one begins to wonder whether those behind the finger-pointing are actually trying to divert
attention from their own culpability and whether
they have even more sinister motives for their
finger-pointing.
”Whatever their motives are, let the international
inquiry we are seeking be launched urgently and let the findings be published for all Nigerians to see.
Anyone opposed to this call for an international
inquiry will have a lot of explanations to make to
Nigerians as well as to the international
community.
”Enough is enough. The daily killing, maiming and abduction of innocent Nigerians, as a clueless
Federal Government looks on, must end. The
pervasive insecurity that has crippled Nigeria since
this insurgency started must be halted. Those
behind it must be unraveled and prosecuted. Let
the inquiry begin!’ http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/apc-calls-inquiry-
unravel-boko-haram-sponsors-modus-operandi/
reading2rhythm's Blog 