Inside Osun Primary School Where Pupils, Teachers Share Space With Animals

•Host Community Laments Lack Of Electricity, Healthcare Facility 

ST. Richard’s Primary School is the only elementary school serving 12 communities in Oloba village, Ayedaade Local Government area  of Osun State. The physical state of all the school’s buildings suggests years of disuse. One could hardly tell if the school was still functioning due to its dilapidated condition. But it was actually operating, with pupils in the classrooms from Oloba, Aaje, Olobi, Dalemo, Fate, and Elewiri villages.

OSUN DEFENDER observed that the only school building available for use was in the shadow of its former self. The ceiling of the building has fallen while the windows and doors were in a state of disrepair. The classrooms were also without chairs; while the environment was bushy. The pupils were learning in an appalling condition.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on the dilapidated condition of the school, a resident of Oloba, Mr. Samuel Aderounmu, noted that learning activities were still ongoing in the school despite the horrible state of the buildings.

He said: “The school is still functioning. I can tell you that teachers and pupils from here and other villages still use the school. So, learning still takes place there. You think they are not using it because of how it looks?

“No one would expect to find pupils learning under a saggy ceiling in a bushy environment. You learn in a school, not in the valley of the shadow of death.”

Of all the structures in the school, only a block of three classrooms constructed 17 years ago, had a roof, while toilets and water facilities were not functioning. 

The 17-year-old building was the only one where teaching was taking place. The state of the school was exacerbated by the dearth of tables and chairs.

The headmaster and teachers have no office, so they cluster with the pupils. The absence of doors and windows gives easy access to animals to stray into the classrooms anytime. At every given opportunity, domestic animals stray into the classroom and scatter both the teachers and pupils’ belongings.

A classroom that contained the teachers’ belongings was only partially protected by a car tyre, some wood and a wooden door that stood in an awkward position. 

A resident of the village, Mr. Olusina Phillips, fondly called Yellow, explained that his children attended the school in spite of the poor condition, since there is no alternative.

He said: “That’s the only school my children attend, we don’t have alternative here.” 

Besides, the villages using the school are without electricity, as they were not connected to the national grid. Residents of the villages travel a considerable distance to Gbongan to charge their phones.

Findings revealed that leaders of the villages had for long been making every effort to keep the school running in the community, so that the government would not shut it down as a result of its deplorable condition. 

According to the leaders, all their efforts to get the government’s attention to the school for renovation have been unfruitful. 

The Baale of Oloba village, Chief Olusegun Olaniran, claimed that the community recognized the need for education and has been visiting the state government secretariat in Osogbo to draw the attention of the government to the problems facing the village and neighbouring communities, but to no avail.

In an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, Olaniran said: “After the last general elections, I wrote two letters to the federal lawmakers from our constituencies to bring our problems to their attention for possible intervention. I commissioned someone to take the letters to their offices at the Senate and House of Representatives with the hope that when they resumed office, they would meet it on their desk. We have not heard any response since then, not even an acknowledgement of the letter.”

One of the letters was addressed to Hon Oladebo Lanre Alomoleye, who is representing Ayedaade/Isokan/Irewole Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives; and the other to Senator Olalere Oyewumi, representing Osun West Senatorial District at the Senate.

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that a man named Alfa Akinpelu Ademola recently donated a wooden door to the school. 

Ademola who spoke with the medium on Wednesday, said: “We are scared that the school might soon be completely abandoned, and we have done all we could do but yet to get any results. In my own way, I was the one who fixed a door to the staff office after a series of complaints by the teachers. We are really fighting hard to sustain this school for our children, but we are unable to achieve much on our own.

The medium learnt that the school serves as a Polling Unit (PU) created by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for residents of the rural communities in the area to vote during elections. Traces of voters lists usually pasted at PUs were evident on the ageing school building. 

Responding to findings, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Eluwole Dipo, said the community had to write the State government about the situation, promising that the government would look into the matter. 

“Let them write a letter about the problem to the government, and we will look into it”, he stated.