“Sometimes snakes and harmful insects are found around classrooms” – Parents lament
By Abdulqadir Muhammad Alhaji
Residents of Rijiyar Malam community, along Jos Road in Bauchi, the capital of Bauchi State, have raised concerns over the deteriorating condition of UBE Primary School Rijiyar Malam, a government-owned school established in 2000 but reportedly left without renovation for more than a decade.
According to community members and school authorities who spoke with Starnews NG, the last major renovation of the school was carried out in 2010. Since then, the infrastructure has reportedly deteriorated significantly, leaving the school buildings without roofs in some classrooms, as well as lacking doors, windows, ceilings, blackboards, and other essential learning facilities.
Upon Starnews NG’s visit on Thursday, it was observed that the school also lacks basic amenities such as toilets and potable water, while the number of teachers available to handle academic activities is said to be inadequate.
Speaking during an interview with Starnews NG Correspondent, the Headmaster of the school, Garba Mohammed Yakubu, stated that the poor condition of the facilities has caused a sharp decline in student enrollment.
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“The last renovation we had was in 2010. Before then, we had about 400 pupils in this school, but because of the dilapidated buildings, many parents have transferred their children to newly established private schools within the village,” Yakubu said.
He explained that parents increasingly prefer schools with safer learning environments and basic facilities such as desks, water, and other basic educational facilities.
“Parents are concerned about the health and safety of their children. When they see classrooms without proper roofs, water, or toilets, they decide to take their children elsewhere,” he added.
Yakubu appealed to the Bauchi State Government and relevant education authorities to urgently intervene by renovating the school and improving its facilities.
“All neighbouring villages have benefited from renovation projects, but our school has been left behind. We still have enough land to expand and add more classrooms if the government comes to our aid,” he said.
The Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Yusuf Abdullahi, who also holds the traditional title of Ajiya of Rijiyar Malam, stated that the community has made several efforts to support the school despite limited resources.
According to him, residents have been sewing school uniforms for pupils and going door-to-door to encourage parents to send their children to school.
“The insecurity we are seeing today in Nigeria is partly because many children are not receiving proper education. The government must take urgent steps to improve schools like ours,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the community had written letters to the Local Education Authority (LEA), the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and contacted political representatives, but their efforts have yet to produce results.
Abdullahi also revealed that during extreme weather conditions, teachers are sometimes forced to move pupils into nearby houses for safety.
“When the sun is too hot or when it rains, we take the children to nearby houses because the classrooms cannot protect them,” he said.
A volunteer teacher at the school, Auwal Umar, described the situation as disheartening, noting that the school was once the only government-owned primary school serving the community.
“This was the school many of us attended when we were young, but today it looks abandoned like a graveyard,” Umar said.
He urged political leaders to address the issue beyond campaign promises.
“Politicians only remember us during election periods when they come for campaigns and make promises. They should do the needful before coming back for votes,” he added.
Some parents in the community say they were forced to withdraw their children from the school due to safety concerns.
One resident, Abubakar Hamisu, popularly known as Lado Sunguy, said the learning environment had become unsafe for pupils.
“We had no choice but to remove our children because the education sector here has collapsed. Sometimes snakes and harmful insects are found around the classrooms because the environment is not properly maintained,” he said.
Hamisu added that while some families have enrolled their children in private schools within the village, many others cannot afford the fees.
“Some families have ten or more children and cannot pay private school fees. Those children end up staying at home or going into hawking,” he lamented.
Community leaders say urgent intervention from the Bauchi State Government and relevant education agencies is needed to rehabilitate the school and restore access to quality education for children in Rijiyar Malam and surrounding villages.
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