By Samuel Ogude
It was difficult to judge whether or not, it was an intuition or previous knowledge of the students to know: as Bailout Magazine crew stepped into Ugbuwangue Basic Secondary School in Warri South Local Government Area Delta State: that they are press men to make their (students) plight known to the world especially the Delta State government through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education headed by the Honourable Commissioner, Mrs Rose Ezewu.
They (students) heaved a sigh of relief as they did not hesitate to greet the crew – the culture of good students. Bailout Magazine crew responded but quickly went about their job. The students: some perched on the windows, many sat on the floor while others cramped (together) on the few available seats as a sack of cray- fish as they watched carefully the crew do their job: take photo shots and video clips of empty classes, vandalized windows glasses, broken ceilings, broken fences, broken marker boards, among others.
The students were excited as they let out: “Thank you Sirs“, just as press crew found their way out of the school premises.
There was no need for interviews as it was glaring that neither the school Principal, the highest ranking administrator of the school has an office to sit to carry out her duty nor the teachers who impact knowledge on the students have staffroom to write their lesson notes and diaries in preparation for effective teaching and learning to take place: they squat on the school veranda in carrying out their official duties.
Investigations revealed that the Principal has written several letters to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and taken the case to DESOPADEC, neither the Ministry nor DESOPADEC has responded to the situation: providing security to secure the school’s property, providing seats for ever growing number of students nor repairing the broken fence of the school- where hoodlums enter the school to either destroy or vandalize the school’s property.
It was gathered that some of the community boys do not help matters as they enter the school compound through the broken fences to play foot ball to further destroy to the school zinc and window glasses – a situation which the Principal was said to have reported to the Community Chairman, yet, no solution on sight.
As the watch dog of the society, Bailout Magazine has written in its past editions news bulletin that the Commissioner for Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education Delta State, Mrs Rose Ezewu should visit most of the schools in Delta State especially schools in Warri and Effurun to get first hand information on the well being of the schools administration, the school structures, and the students themselves.
It is glaring that many of the students are not learning yet, it is the same tests and examinations that would be administered on the students. How then do we expect students to do well in examinations when they are not well taught?
The set up Monitoring Team by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education do not help matters as they only supervise teachers and their lesson notes and dairies without reporting the state of the schools to their boss on getting to the office.
While it is obvious that some schools especially model schools in Delta State especially in Warri and Effurun have what it takes to learn – which the Ministry of Basic and Secondary use to judge many other schools, the fact remains that many schools are at the mercy of God. Many of them have cried out yet, the government does not care to listen.
Rt .Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori led government of Delta State has started very well by awarding a contract for the construction of flyover bridges among others, to ease transportation in Warri and Effurun, it will be good if such gesture is extended to education industry especially the Basic and Secondary Education to save it from total collapse .If this is not done, it would be concluded that the MORE Agenda of the state government excluded at this level- the foundation upon which learning at the higher institutions is built.