Opinion: Dearth of primary education in Theodore Orji’s Abia

by Onyebuchi Ogbaegbe

gov1

How can we be blaming Abubarkar Shekau (Leader of Boko Haram) for claiming that Western Education is sin when the government of Ikwuano LGA and Abia State Government have openly shown these kids that quality education is not for them.

Amaoba Central School Oboro Ikwuano Abia State popularly known as “Group” was founded in 1949, their motto “knowledge is power” currently depicts a shadow of its glorious past. Located in a sleepy village of Amaoba Oboro Ikwuano LGA Abia state, an agrarian settlement, about 20 minutes drive from Umuahia town, a co-host community to Michael Okpara University of Agriculture.

In 1949 when the Methodist Church Nigeria in conjunction with the host community birthed the idea of bringing  primary education to the  door step of the rural community, their  intention was to help eradicate illiteracy but that lofty vision has long been truncated by both Ikwuano LGA and Abia State government, a reflection of sheer negligence by our elected officials.

It is disheartening to note that these pupils have been denied quality education by the same government their parents stood under the sun and in the rain to vote into power. These pupils see Nigeria from the reflection and imagination of their school environment, very unfriendly and hopeless society. A psyche that must be changed with dispatch by providing them with a good learning environment.

The community has done their bit by providing some benches and tables for the pupils from their meager income from subsistence farming which was not enough to cater for the entire need of the pupils.

Conspicuously unavailable are basic teaching aids, good learning class rooms, library and good toilet facilities. Any first visitor to the school will be utterly bewildered at the level of decay, disrepair and dilapidation of educational facilities in this once noble citadel of learning.

Sadly enough, some above average families have withdrawn their wards from the state owned primary school to some nearby private schools leaving the downtrodden with no choice than to be subjected to such an excruciating learning environment.

The walls and floors of the school look miserable beyond description. The leaking roof of the school blocks is an eye sore to behold, subjecting the pupils to learn under painful weather conditions. Pupils receive lectures on bare floors under the tutelage of ill motivated teachers.

How can we be blaming Abubakar Shekau (Leader of Boko Haram) for claiming that Western Education is sin when the government of Ikwuano LGA and Abia State Government have openly shown these kids that quality education is not for them. What could be more ‘Boko Haramic’ than denying innocent pupils good basic education by the government of Abia State? It is incredibly melancholic to see the government mete out stiff brutality on helpless citizens by denying them their constitutional rights-basic education. The negative impact of an uneducated youth will be so severe than imagined if I may advise the state.

If pupils are having this harsh experience at the primary school level, what should be the motivating factor to encourage them to aspire for higher education? It is not their fault that they were born in the village, neither is it their making that their parents couldn’t send them to private schools.However, It is their exclusive right as enshrined in the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria to have access to basic education as citizens by birth.

Authorities of Ikwuano LGA in whose jurisdiction this inhuman treatment is being perpetrated and Abia State Government whose duty it is to supervise and ensure that basic education is extended to all and sundry should know that he who brings home ant infested firewood should be prepared to play host to lizard.

Amaoba Central School is not alone in this act of wickedness and man’s inhumanity to man with regards to compulsory basic education. Sometimes I wonder how our elected officials feel when they observe this level of degradation of human entity. The question is can’t Abia State government have an education summit as it is done in other states to chat a way forward on Universal Basic Education to enable them meet the Millennium Development Goal by 2015? There should be a deliberate action by both the Local Authority and State Government to take stock of all Primary and Secondary Schools in the State, know their peculiar needs and have a work plan to tackle them. It still beats my imagination how a Commissioner for Education could be sitting comfortably in his or her office while pupils learn under trees and make shift classrooms.

The fight for insecurity in Abia State will be an effort in futility if pupils are not first given basic education where good morals will be imbued in them. Looking at the faces of the pupils in their pitiable dismal learning condition, smiling bitterly at the irony of a failed state, a clear expression of government’s brutality on their future. I weep for my nation, I weep for my State, Abia. If after collecting billions of naira from Federal Allocation, Excess Crude account and other internally generated revenues for over 15 years of uninterrupted democratic government and Abia State is still unable to provide basic primary education for her future leaders then I wonder the type of leaders they are preparing for the future.

This is a clarion call to both the government of Abia State and Ikwuano LGA to come to the aid of these helpless and hapless pupils with no one to speak for them, who have in-spite of the psychological torture meted on them by the government and the society have decided to keep fate to learn under  leaking roofs. This invariably shows that if given a better learning environment, these innocent pupils will excel and become better and responsible citizens in the society.

A stitch in time saves nine!

 

——————————

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (14)

  1. It’s a pity that writing has been reduced to this. People just wake up,and come up with all sorts of ridiculous things. TA Orji has fared very well especially when it comes to education. That a particular school(s) in an area has some issues doesn’t mean “Dearth of primary education in Theodore Orji’s Abiia” Mr Writer were u paid to do this? Please go and review your writing skills and carry out a proper research when next you want to write.

  2. Interesting, i am not a fan of TA.Orji o but on this count, one has to be honest, if there’s one area Abia is effective to a good point, its education and at the primary level too, please research properly sir.

  3. You started the post well sir but at some point, you started adding salt and pepper and wrong information; i am afraid that’s wrong… please back your posts up with facts, thanks.

  4. No matter how nice you may be, some people will always talk evil against you. Gov. Orji, carry on with the good work

  5. This is fallacious. Check your records well. You may have missed out relevant facts somewhere. Check this

  6. I dont believe this. As a matter of fact, i know very well that Gov. Theordor Orji does very well in educational transformation. To the best of my knowledge, I know of the Obikabia Model Primary School with Perimeter Fencing 16 Class rooms which he transformed to a mini heaven, Owerri Aba Community Model Primary School Ugwunagbo LGA With Borehole and a host of so many others. Just that one community may have not benefted yet from the Primary school project does not mean they are forgotten. Afterall, Orji is still in power

  7. What rubbish!! isn’t the building and rehabilitation of schools part of the Governors Legacy projects? do you expect all projects to be done at the same time?, or are you just that slow in thinking? as far as i know Gov is very much interested in the welfare of the citizens when it comes to Education.

  8. very Hag-erred article, total bull by the way. Abia Govt is one of the few that even shows interest in education. do your research properly before writing, if your palms are so itchy!!

  9. lwkmd children make una know fight biko, T.A Orji had done well for Abians in term of elementary education, i wonder what this writter is even saying, nonsense..

  10. hahaha my name sake thank you 🙂

  11. @Okafor free the smallie jare no need to trade words with that illitrate.

  12. Victoria STFU see dis pikin oooO what do you know about good governace don’y piss me off.

  13. Kachi you are a fowl like T.A Orji mstcheeew.

  14. *Sigh* what an article when we all know that the government of Abia State has passion for education and we’ve all seen what T.A Orji has done in terms of education by laying down some good structures for proper learning and you are here blabbing rubbish, i wonder what some of you gain by tarnishing a government that is working well for it’s citizens.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail