Primary School in Anambra Cries for Intervention

The pupils and staff of Adaogbe Migrant Fishermen Primary School (AMFPS), Okija, Ihiala Council Area of Anambra State have appealed for help from the government and private individuals in upgrading the institution to a befitting citadel of learning.

The elementary school was established in 1999 by the federal government of Nigeria but was later brought under the control of Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) with a view to providing qualitative education to the children of rural farmers and fishermen in the similar way nomadic schools are being run in the northern Nigeria.

However, till date, AMFPS lacks all the essential infrastructure needed for effective teaching and learning processes.

Orient Daily, who visited the school recently, reported that insufficient classroom blocks, chairs and desks pose lots of challenges to the over four hundred pupils compelled to study either sitting on the floor or standing in the crowded little space apartments (classrooms) constructed by its host community and federal government prior to the state government whose building is yet to be completed.

Located in the out sketch of the community in what could be described as a bushy environment, major road leading to the institution is usually inaccessible at raining season, even as it has no functional pipe borne water, electricity and a school bus for easing the suffering of its teachers and pupils who walk to and fro the town for hours courtesy of deplorable road condition.

Speaking to our reporter, Head-Teacher of Adaogbe Migrant Fishermen Primary, Lady Dioha Ugochi, disclosed that the problem is currently half-solved because she met nothing on the ground when she was posted to pilot its affairs in 2009.

Her words: “There was no chair and desks, no school building or permanent site to accommodate our teeming populace. Then, our pupils were tutored in an uncompleted building, personal residence of an indigene of Umuhu. I then requested for assistance from Oganiru ruling Age Grade Okija and they gave us this permanent site and erected some edifice for us to take-off. Later, the federal government came and built two classroom blocks for us; followed by the Anambra state government whose own is still under construction”.

But despite these, Lady Dioha affirmed that her school graduates best brains including the three pupils who took first position at face of okija quiz competition recently organised by Obijackson foundation, due to its highly qualified and dedicated teachers.

She said that their academic high premium further encouraged the community to establish a secondary school, Adaogbe Community Secondary School which at present has over sixty students and Jss1 and Jss2, housed by the same primary school building as the state government is yet to approve it officially.

She therefore enjoined concerned individuals, organizations and government to come to their rescue by providing the school with overhead tank and electricity to power it, as well as fence the school compound in order to secure it from the eyes of hoodlums and intruders.

On his part, Mr. Igbojinna Aloy, pioneer Principal of Adaogbe Community Secondary School, Umuhu Okija, averred that the school has well qualified teachers and students who are eager to learn, and reiterated the needs for the state government to give its approval to the new school, even as he called for a separate school building, accommodation, books, chairs, tables and black boards to help in boosting their academic activities among others.

While the little masters Philip Obichukwu of primary six and Chijioke Augustine of JSS 2 pledged to double their efforts so as to make the country proud, should the government provide them with conducive environment for teaching and learning.

Also speaking, an indigene of Umuhu, the host community and one of the volunteer security men in the school, Chief Onyema Okam, noted that sky would be their starting point if the various stakeholders and individuals would hearken to the lamentations of the primary and secondary schools in terms of academic, and implored the government to place them, the security men on payroll for optimum service delivery.