Pupils in Yobe boarding primary school cry out over poor learning, living conditions

Conducive school environment is the panacea for effective learning,
according to international best practice.

For Boarding Primary School in Murfa-Kalam in Damaturu local
government area of Yobe state, the reverse is the case as learning is
done in the worst of environment as observed by DAILY POST
correspondent who visited the school recently before it went on
vacation.

The only primary boarding school in the state, located at the
Murfa-Kalam village, about 12km away from Damaturu, the Yobe State
capital, is made up of two blocks of three class rooms each,
containing 120 pupils population in the school.

There are three dormitories in all, two for males and one for females
which are not enough for comfortable living.

The school with five teaching staff and four non teaching staff is not
in the best of conditions as observed.

Class one to three pupils are studying on bare flour, torn off ceiling
and broken windows, while class four to six are also not better as
they are taking their lessons under rough environment.

The level of sickness is high among the pupils due to lack medical
facility to cater for people in the school and by extension the
community when the need arises, despite their closeness to the state's
seat of power.

Alhasan Amadu is one of the eleven indisposed pupils, where ten of
them were taken homes for treatment.

When asked what is bedevilling him? Amadu said while sobbing with hot
tears running down his cheeks, "I am having a serious headache since
last night".

On the other side, however, Mohammed Idriss is one of the class six
pupils that had a class test in the morning when DAILY POST visited
the school and their scripts were handed over to them.

The brilliant boy scored the highest of 40/40 marks in the Computer Education.

"I am appealing to the authorities concerned to come to our aid so
that we can have a better learning environment", Idriss appealed.

Other challenges facing the pupils as learnt at the school include:
lack of good toilet facility, mosquito nets which was responsible for
the high rate of sickness among the pupils, inadequate teaching and
learning materials and above all the security of lives and property.

There are no security operatives manning the school despite its remote
location, hence the pupils and their mentors are left at the mercy of
their prayers and supplications for divine protection against evil
doers such as Boko Haram terrorists.

Mohammed Garba is the Headmaster of the Murfa-Kalam Boarding Primary
School and he called on the local and state governments to do the
needful and better the lot of the pupils who are aspiring to become
leaders of tomorrow.

"I am calling on the Damaturu local government and the state Ministry
of Education to come to the rescue of these learners by improving
their living condition and also renovating the dilapidated structures
in the school for effective teaching and learning to take place", the
HM called.

In an interview with DAILY POST, the Executive Chairman of Damaturu
local government area, Bulama Modu said, "plan is in the pipeline to
renovate the school to standard and also to improve the living
condition of the pupils".

The prayers of the pupils are that security guards are brought to the
school among other needs to build their confidence and improve
learning in the school.