As the rainy season sets in, findings from across many public primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory reveal that classrooms are currently unfit for learning due to prolonged and incomplete renovation works.
Abuja Metro reports that teachers in FCT public schools commenced an indefinite strike on Monday, which coincided with the scheduled resumption for the third term academic calendar.
However, beyond the strike, the state of infrastructure in many schools has raised fresh concerns following the delay in completing ongoing renovation embarked upon by the FCT Administration.
At the Model Primary School, Kubwa 3, one of the schools captured under the ongoing renovation programme; virtually all classroom blocks have their roofs removed, with none replaced as of the time of the visit.
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The situation has left classrooms exposed to rainfall, leading to flooding, as the ceilings which were yet to be removed could not withstand the downpour.
Some school officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, decried the slow pace of work, noting that the project commenced about eight months ago with little progress since then.
They questioned how effective learning could take place in such a condition, even if the strike were to be called off.
Speaking on the development, a community leader and chairman of the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) in the area, retired Captain Aliyu Garba, said the situation prompted his committee to engage the FCT education authorities.
According to him, findings revealed that the renovation projects were awarded directly by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, rather than the Education Secretariat. He added that contractors had complained of lack of funds beyond the initial mobilisation, hence, the delay.
Garba, who also holds the traditional title of Barden Bwari, said he had earlier advised the contractor to adopt a phased approach to avoid total disruption.
"But what we see now is that all the classroom roofs were removed at once, and none has been replaced. That is the reality on ground," he lamented.
At the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Dutse, an all-female boarding school, some classrooms have been temporarily converted into dormitories due to ongoing hostel renovations.
Similarly, at the Government Secondary School (GSS) Kubwa 2, about eight classrooms and the school store are affected by the renovation exercise. Other schools affected include GSS Dei-Dei and a secondary school in the neighbouring Zhibi community.
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Officials in some of the affected schools said they had repeatedly appealed to both the contractors and the Education Secretariat to expedite work, especially with the onset of the rainy season.
They warned that unless urgent steps are taken, the combination of stalled renovation projects and ongoing industrial action could further disrupt academic activities across the FCT.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the FCT Education Secretariat, Kabiru Musa, said the director of projects was in the best position to speak on the matter.
He promised to send the contact of the director which he never did until the time of going to press.
