INVESTIGATION: Inside the ‘decaying’ FCT Secondary School

July 13, 2024371

Education has long been recognised as the cornerstone of meaningful and sustainable development. In Nigeria, the education sector faces numerous challenges, from inadequate funding to poor infrastructure, which hinder the nation’s socio-economic, scientific, and technological progress. Despite the potential of education to transform lives and foster national development, many Nigerian schools, particularly public ones, remain in a deplorable state.

One such example is Junior Secondary School, Dei-Dei, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). With UBEB-CODE No. 051, the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) established the school, which currently has 1,590 students enrolled.

Like many public schools in the FCT, it is grappling with overpopulation and severe infrastructure deficits.

The school serves seven communities—Saburi, Pazzari, Bagusa, Shagari Quarters, Agwan Fulani, Fillin Dabo, and Jiwa—but lacks essential facilities such as adequate classrooms, chairs, a library, and toilets.

An earlier report highlighted similar condition in Zhibi LEA Primary School, also in the Dei-Dei community.

The level of Infrastructure deficit in FCT Schools

UNESCO has consistently advocated accelerated progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality educationand lifelong learning opportunities for all.

However, Junior Secondary School, Dei-Dei, despite being one of the most popular secondary schools in the area, serving seven communities, lacks essential facilities like classrooms, chairs, a library, and even toilets.

On the morning of March 6, Radio Nigeria visited the school and found overcrowded classrooms, with students sitting on windowsills, seemingly resulting in diminished concentration.

Despite their best efforts, teachers struggle because of the poor facilities, which include a staff room that resembles a run-down chicken coop.

A dilapidated staff room in the centre of Government Junior Secondary School, Dei-Dei FCT.

Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

Inside the staff room at the Government Junior Secondary School, Dei-Dei FCT.

Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

Teachers settling down for the day’s job in a leaking roof at JSS Dei-Dei FCT

Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

Some teachers, speaking on condition of anonymity, lamented the lack of a conducive environment for both teaching and preparation, as they currently prepare for lessons under tattered tents and scamper for cover when it rains.

The school’s infrastructure issues extend to leaking ceilings, obsolete equipment, and an absence of basic amenities like fans, despite the scorching heat at the time of this report.

One of the over-crowded JSS classrooms as some sit on the windowsills, others on the floor, at the Junior Secondary school Dei-Dei, FCT. Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

The toilet are in a deplorable state, forcing students and teachers to relieve themselves in bushes, posing severe health risks. One teacher lamented, “We go outside the school premises to answer the call of nature because the school toilet is unhygienic.”

A toilet at the JSS Dei-Dei, FCT.

Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

The toilet facility, built several years ago, is now in a state of severe disrepair. Teachers and students resort to open defecation. This practice not only exposes them to significant health risks but also contributes to environmental pollution and the spread of diseases.

The Principal, Mr Abdullahi Mamman declined to comment on the situation of the school, but some of the teachers who do not want their names mentioned decried the state of neglect in government schools in FCT.

Abandoned school Library in Junior Secondary School, Dei-Dei FCT.

Photo: Adeniyi Bakare/Radio Nigeria

A former Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Sir Christian Ohaa, had called for sustainable options for funding public schools and vocational centres. He noted that there is a need to seek alternative sources of funding outside government subventions, as the government alone cannot and indeed should not be left alone to fund education.

The investigation reveals that the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) is aware of the numerous challenges in these schools.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, initiated the ambitious rehabilitation of 19 schools, marking a significant stride towards transforming learning environments.

Amidst these efforts lies a pressing need for urgency

The imperative to swiftly complete these renovations resonates deeply, as delays could risk disrupting the academic progress of thousands of public school students.

Stakeholders said the infrastructure and standards set by public schools in the FCT should be a model for state public schools.

The Rights to Education – UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) defines Education as a fundamental human right for every man, woman and child. It lies at the heart of UNESCO’s work to build a more peaceful, just and sustainable planet.

Education is a basic human right that works to raise men and women out of poverty, level inequalities and ensure sustainable development. But worldwide, 244 million children and youth are still out of school for social, economic and cultural reasons.

The right to quality education is already firmly rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international legal instruments, the majority of which are the result of the work of UNESCO and the United Nations.