PUNCH NEWSPAPER: SEGUN OLUGBILE writes
that huge pupil population and inadequate teachers are hindering
education delivery at the only two public secondary schools serving over
12 communities in Ibafo/Mowe axis of Obafemi Owode Local Government
Area of Ogun State
The teacher was sweating. The pupils who
were huddled together in fives on each of the long wooden chairs in the
overpopulated classroom were doing everything but learning. From his
countenance, the overworked teacher was only waiting for his lesson to
be over.
The classroom that ordinarily should sit
40 has 120 pupils. While some of them were playing at the back of the
classroom, others were busy doing various things.
Now, the frustrated teacher picked out
his handkerchief from his pocket, cleaned his sweat-soaked face and
yelled at the noisy pupils.
“Stop making a noise! If you don’t want
to learn go back home,” he said. His action only provoked more noise as
some of the pupils complained in hushed tones that the classroom was
not comfortable for them to learn.
Lack of adequate classrooms had forced
the management of the Community Senior High School and Community Junior
Secondary School, Ibafo, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun
State to merge classes.
The junior and senior schools are the
only ones serving all the communities in Ibafo/Mowe axis of the Obafemi
Owode Local Government, an area fast growing in population as many Lagosians
are relocating there. So pupils come from as far as Mowe, Asese,
Magada, Matogi, Abule Oba, Arepo, Magboro, Sefu Elelede, Temidire, Sefu
Ota and all the adjoining villages. Since the school was established in
September 1980, none other, except one that was started by the Chinese
community in Magboro three years ago, has been added in spite of
increasing population of the area.
The senior arm of the school has just 14
classrooms for over 2,000 pupils while the junior arm has about 11
classrooms and 33 teachers for about 2, 300 pupils. The only public
primary school in the area, Obafemi Owode Primary School, Ibafo, is also
not faring any better. It is also overpopulated.
Checks at the state Ministry of
Education revealed that 1, 137 pupils were admitted into the JSS 1 of
the school for the 2012/2013 academic session. This is in spite of
limited number of classrooms. Due to inadequate space, the management of
the schools had to combine two arms of a class into a classroom. This
has made it arguably the first school that would have two arms of a
class in a single classroom. A teacher, who pleaded anonymity for fear
of persecution, said that overpopulation and government refusal to build
more classes in the school were responsible for the bloated classes.
“That is why we have SS1A1 and SS1A2 in
the same class. This is also one of the factors for poor education
delivery in the school. Just imagine a teacher working under such a
condition!” the source said.
One of the pupils, Akinbode Abiodun, who confirmed this, said that there are 110 pupils in his class.
“I’m in SS 2 B2 and we are 110 in my
class. It’s not always easy to learn under this condition because we
sometimes fight for space,” he said.
Also, Ojo Emmanuel, who comes to the
school from Magada, a distance of over two kilometres, said that over
100 pupils are in his class. He is in SS3A2.
Lawal Ayobami, an SS 3 pupil of the
institution, also complained about lack of space. Our correspondent, who
visited the school on Thursday, counted 112 pupils in one of the arms
of the senior secondary school. But apart from lack of classrooms, the
junior arm of the institution is battling with inadequate teachers.
A JSS 2 pupil of the school, Kehinde
Ahmed, said that though the pupil population in the junior secondary is
over 2,000, there are just three English Language teachers for the whole
school.
A non-teaching member of staff, who
spoke on the condition of anonymity, because he was not allowed to speak
with the press, confirmed this. The source added that three teachers
could not effectively teach over 2,000 pupils.
“It is not just about inadequate English
teachers, this school also has only one Fine Art teacher and one of
the arm of the school-JSS1 – is so large that we have up to JSS 1G,”
the source added.
At the senior secondary school arm, a
clerk told our correspondent that the principal had gone out for a
meeting. But other senior members of staff, including the two
vice-principals, refused to speak with our correspondent.
“The principal has gone for a meeting. You can come back another day,” one of the two female vice-principals said.
However, a drama ensued when our
correspondent tried to get the views of the principal of the junior
school about the problem of overpopulation and inadequate teachers.
The man became furious as soon as he learnt about the mission of our correspondent in the school.
“How did you enter the school? Who
allowed you in? Who invited you? You must not write anything about this
school and you must not take any photograph. Otherwise, I will deal with
you. Why are you people from PUNCH always creating problem for us. Please, leave this school now! I say leave,” he said.
All efforts to convince him to talk
failed. “I’m a civil servant, I don’t talk to the press,” he said amid
threat to destroy our correspondent’s camera if any attempt was made to
take photographs.
However, one of the parents, Mr. Alani
Fatai, who spoke with our correspondent at the school gate, said the
state government was not serious about giving quality education to the
people of the area. According to him, the land housing the two schools
is well over 20 plots. This, he said, was enough to build befitting
schools.
He also accused the state government of
paying lip service to education, saying that the books distributed to
pupils as part of its free education scheme were not enough.
“This school is now a bit better now
because before the intervention of the Parents Teacher Association, our
children were sitting on bare floor. But we are now providing the desks
and chairs for the school,” he said.
However, the state Commissioner for
Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Olusegun Odubela, said the
government was aware of the challenge. But he explained that lack of
land space to build was responsible.
“We are aware of the problem and, in
fact, His Excellency Governor Ibikunle Amosun is passionate about
education. That is why he has started the idea of model schools. The
committee has visited that axis to look for land where a model school
could be sited. But unfortunately, we have not been able to get the
required land space of at least 10 acres to accommodate the model,” he
said.
Asked why the state government was
finding it difficult to get land in the area, Odubela, a lawyer,
explained that most land in the area had been sold.
“We got one around Akute but there are
still some challenges. Some people have said we should acquire land but
the feeling of the government is that we don’t want to render people
homeless; but we may have to resort to that if we can’t get the land to
build schools for our children in all the border areas,” he said.
Odubela added that the state government
was committed to the development of the education sector, adding that
millions of naira had been expended on infrastructural development of
schools across the state.
However, some residents of Ibafo said the reason given by the government could not hold water.
“Ok, assuming that they don’t have
land, why can’t they make use of the expanse of land in the existing
school? Why can’t they build huge story buildings like they are doing in
some Lagos schools? I don’t believe there is no land, it’s just that
they don’t want to develop this Mowe/Ibafo axis,” Mr. Sunday Tejumade
said.
Another resident, Alhaji Sunmaila Ajani,
also faulted the state government for failing to develop the area. He
said, “It’s not right. If the government truly desire to give us school,
why did they decide to pick Owode as the site of the model school in
this local government? That town already has two secondary schools. Why
can’t they say; let Ibafo/Mowe axis of the council be given the model
school?” he said.
The pupils also called on the state government to give them more classrooms and teachers to enhance education delivery.
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