OGUN REMAIN ADAMANT OVER TURNING AROUND POULTRY-SHED CLASSROOMS

Penpushing findings revealed that the community is populated with over 8,000 residents and paraded over 200 houses. The primary school in the community is established to be owned by the Ogun State Government

It was reliably gathered that the school started its academic journey some years back in a community known as Adekanbi, situated within the premises of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta. However, as year roll out, the authorities of the polytechnic, the rightful owner of the land resolved to take full possession of the land, with a fence erected round the hectares of land.

This led to the ejection of the primary school, but a neighbouring, community; Agbena saw the development as good opportunity for them and resolved to accommodate the school to continue with its academic activities.

This in no distance time became a reality, as the Community Development Association, (CDA), of Agbena provided a land through community contributions, and constructed a temporary classrooms  built like poultry sheds, while awaiting government to turn it round to a conducive classrooms.

The community then forwarded letters to the state government to rise up to the challenge of providing a befitting infrastructure, but the government remained adamant two years after the community request, while pupils continued to learn under poor conditions.

When our reporter visited the school of over 150 pupils, they were found inside the cubicles serving as classrooms and packed like sardines.

The Teachers were not left out in the dehumanizing condition, teaching underatmosphere not fit for a modern teaching clime, as direct rays of the sun centered on both teachers and pupils. The school also shares a fence with an abandoned building, said to be housing reptiles.

Speaking with vice-chairman of the CDA, Prince Abiodun Adegoroye, he told Penpushing that government was not forthcoming to uplift the school, or show concern about the wards plight. He said even though the community had done its best to provide infrastructure to aid learning and teaching, but noted that these were not adequate or appropriate.

Adegoroye regretted that, the community letter to government is yet to address the plight of the innocent pupils and their tutors.

”The place is an eyesore. Both pupils and teachers are ‘victims of sun and rain.’ The community and teachers have submitted letters to the government but it is sad that after a year, the government failed to address the problem,” he said.

Also reacting, a former treasurer of the community, Oluseye Araba corroborated the statement of the vice-chairman stressing that the school need necessary attention for the betterment of the community and the pupils

He recalled “The school was ejected from the polytechnic compound after the management decided to fence the school round. The head teacher of the school thereafter approached our community, and we gladly offered land where we constructed the classrooms with planks as a temporary measure,”

Araba stated that, sometimes ago officials of State Universal Basic Education visited the school once to assess the situation of facilities there but never return for any update on their visit.

‘The authority promised to build a befitting school since two years ago but that is not forthcoming. We are still appealing to the government. Our community has spent over N200,000 to provide the temporary classrooms, and the government should stop this nonchalance. Sun and rain have become a regular threat to both pupils and teachers,” he said.

The Public Relations Officer of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Sulaiman Adebiyi when contacted defended the ejection of the school, explaining that there had been an illegal incursion by the school on the 900 hectares of the land belonging to the polytechnic hence the decision by the council to fence the land around.

He told Penpushing that the polytechnic management informed the government‎ about the incursion and also requested the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning to address the issue after which the school was ejected.

Similarly, in his own reaction, Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji  Olatunde Okewole, also confirmed that the school was indeed ejected, but equally admitted  that the present location of the school was not conducive.

He made a pledge that government would look into the matter, boasting that the first action to be taken within three weeks (as at two months ago), was the construction of three blocks of classrooms.

His words”I have been to the school. It is not the best place to have pupils. I can assure you that State Universal Basic Education has plans to erect a block of 3 classrooms within the next few weeks,”

Ironically, three months after the pledge, investigation by our reporter revealed that the pupils are still receiving their lessons in a poultry shed after the state government pledged to provide them classrooms and other facilities.

However, following non-challance and failed promised of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Penpushing took time to find out update on the ugly development, and contacted the commissioner of education

The State Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Modupe Mujota, while responding said   she had written to SUBEB, which is responsible for primary education, to attend to it as well as other stakeholders on the issue

Her words “It is rather unfortunate that the school relocation planned elaborately by MAPOLY where they were occupying before did not pan out. We have since written to MAPOLY to ensure that what they planned to do for the school earlier should be done now. We have also written to the SUBEB to intervene and ensure what everything MAPOLY has to do is done. We will also be maintaining oversight on it and expect that there should be resolution within a short time‎,” Mrs. Mujota stated.