In Enugu community which has produced scholars, educationists, technocrats, political leader of high repute, the unthinkable is happening in its education sector.
However, to say that Community Primary school Ibagwa-Agu Nsukka local government area of Enugu state is in a state of dilapidation is to make an understatement.
Rebuilt about a decade ago, Community Primary school Ibagwa-Agu is indeed in a state of comatose as there is virtually no basic infrastructure like seats, tables, toilet and other necessary amenities in the school.
However, when WITHIN NIGERIA visited the school, only about twenty pupils were seen in the school, writing something on the wall of the building inside the classroom which has been turned into chalkboard.
The head teacher of the school, Mrs Eucharia Ukamaka Itodo WITHIN NIGERIA was not in the school at the time of the visit. She was said to have gone to the local government headquarters, Nsukka for an official duty.
Nevertheless, a female teacher who spoke to our reporter under the condition of anonymity for fear of victimization explained that ” since I was posted to this school, that is how we have been managing the situation. We don’t know what else to do other than to manage what we have.”
Another teacher who also spoke to WITHIN NIGERIA under anonymity stated that ” we don’t know who to talk to again. We lack virtually everything here. We have only two government teachers and two Parents Teachers Association PTA teachers. In all, the number of teachers is just four.
“While the former is paid by the government, the later is being paid by the community. Every day government keeps on promising us that they will do something about our condition but till this moment, we have not seen anything. You can imagine that everybody, both staff and pupils go inside bush to answer the call of nature. It is that bad here but government seems not to be interested in our welfare here.”
Lamenting further, the teacher told our reporter that “it is very disheartening that the member representing Nsukka West in the Enugu state House of Assembly, Hon. Dr. Emmanuel Ugwuerua is from this community and such a thing is happening. We have appealed to him to help us with seats and send us teachers, all to no avail.”
In any case, our reporter also gathered that the ugly trend in the school has a multiplier and vicious cycle effect. This is because many teachers posted to the school do not find it comfortable to stay and so, they either bribe their way to their transfer to another better school or abscond from their work, yet their salary continues to flow.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that as a result of the ugly situation, many parents and guardians have pulled out their children and wards from school to a nearby private school.
Nevertheless, when our reporter went to the office of the Education Secretary, Nsukka local government, Mrs. Jane Asadu to get her reaction on the matter, she was not on seat.
All efforts by WITHIN NIGERIA reporter to get her on phone proved abortive as her number was not going through.