Yusuf Oketola
SOME schools in Ile-Ife, State of Osun are without classrooms while others are managing dilapidated buildings to accommodate their students and pupils, according to findings by OSUN DEFENDER.
One of the schools that is currently begging for government’s attention is Ethiopian Grammar School, Abiri, Ogudu road, Aganhun, Ile-Ife.
The school was established in 1980 at Okeyidi in Modakeke before it was relocated to Ile-Ife during the Ife/Modakeke crisis between 1997 to 2002.
Five of the six classrooms in the school are dilapidated while the remaining block was reported to have been destroyed by rainstorm in May 2021. This left the school without a single classroom for learning.
OSUN DEFENDER visited the school on Monday and noted that the students of Ethiopian Grammar School were sharing a building of a nearby school, Bolorunduro Community Primary School for learning.
The students were also said to have been taught by their teachers under a tree for a while before moving to the primary school.
It was also observed that the only existing block in the school was constructed by the PTA which is being used as Staff room and Principal Office. However, part of the block has been converted to a classroom.
According to a source who do not want his name in print, students in the school as at last year were over 300 but the number has reduced to about 100 students due to the condition of the school.
The source also disclosed that a private radio station had earlier did a report on the school, but the state government reportedly threatened to sack the school principal who spoke with the private medium.
The source said: “We had over 300 students in the school as at last year but the number begin to reduce drastically due to lack of classrooms for learning. Now we have just about 100 students. Parents have begun to withdraw their children to another school.
“A month ago, a private radio station in the state capital came to do a research on the school, but we later heard that the state government issued a threat to the principal for revealing the deteriorating condition of the school.
“This matter has been reported to various concern quarters. We have written to State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), the local government and others. The community leaders have also gone to see the government officials but that have not yielded a positive result.
“For a while, the students were being taught under a tree before we moved them to the primary school”.
OSUN DEFENDER also noted that there are 16 teachers in the school, but teachers for Fine Art, Basic Tech, Home economics, among others were lacking.
According to a resident of the community, Boyede Olowookere, the government has pledged the construction of new classrooms for the students which it has been done.
Olowookere stressed that the school shouldn’t be in that condition considering the allocation coming to the local government from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
He said: “The government has pledged to swiftly construct new classrooms for the students and I hope it keeps that promise soonest. Kindly google the FAAC allocations to that Ile-Ife for the past 48 years, you will be amazed and flabbergasted to see millions of naira coming to that local Govt every month”.
Reacting to the development, the state Commissioner for Education, Hon. Folorunso Oladoyin said the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) has visited the school for inspection and captured the place in this year’s construction/renovation plan.
