THE INFORMANT247
5-12-2017.
~ Students have not been provided with electricity for the past Five months.
~ A majority of students look for alternative way of getting food.
~ The hostels are ‘no go area’ for students who now sleep outside.
Education facilities in most of the public-funded schools in Kwara State are in precarious condition as many of the schools established by the state government have not been renovated for years nor are they being supplied with adequately facilities and equipment that will make education attainable thus making schooling of students from poor background very unpleasant.
A visit to most of the schools in the state, especially within the state capital will depict how the Kwara State government negligence has left hundreds of schools in ruins, crying for renovation despite the huge amount budgeted for education annually
Government Secondary School (GSS), Ilorin, Kwara State is the oldest post-primary institution in the state and among the oldest secondary schools in the country. Established in October 1914, after the British amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates to form what is today known as Nigeria, the school celebrated her 100 years of existence in 2014. Replete with a rich history of excellence, the school has produced many prominent Nigerians in all walks of life – politics, academics, military and business, among others. It now runs a full boarding system and serves as a centre of unity in diversity, with students from all the geo-political zones of the country, courtesy of her exchange programme.
Prominent among the school’s alumni are the first military governor of Kwara State, Col. David Bamigboye, a former governor of Kwara State, late Governor Mohammed Lawal, former Governor Cornelius Adebayo, former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, former Senator Mohammed Ahmed, former Chairman of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Chief Ganiyu Ogunleye, Senator Nuru Abatemi from Kogi State, Senator Simeon Ajibola, a former senator representing Kwara South, former Special Adviser to the President on the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), Dr. Tunji Olagunju, Engr. Lanre Shagaya, The new Vice-Chancellor, University of of Ilorin, Prof. Andulkareem Age, Major Kazali Akandi and Air Vice-Marshal Femi Sulaiman among others.
During those days, it was reputed to be one of the best in the country and discipline is infused in the consciousness of every student. To attain her motto, ” No struggle, No success” students are made to commit themselve to excellence.
But all these are now stories of yesteryears and fairy tales of today. The school continue to lose her reputation as years unfold due to the negligence of the government to show plight to the worrisome conditions of the state owned school within and outside the state capital.
THE INFORMANT247 correspodence who visited the school on Wednesday, November 1, X-ray some of the problems the school is facing which is crying for urgent attention.
SECURITY:
As expected of a typical school running a full boarding system, the management is expected to provide maximum security to guarantee the safety of every students. But the reverse is GSS’s case. The school, according to sources our correspondence spoke with, could not boost of a single security operatives monitoring the movement of students as well as the school premises. The students are therefore left to their fate. With many collapsed fences that have been turned to illegal entrance, the school authority could obviously not put track to the movement of student and visitors.
Speaking with one of the senior students, he confided in our correspondent that the security measure is not too tight and student are left to their fate, even some student abscond from hostel, without the consent of the school management, for days.
DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS:
If not for the old boy’s Association intervention, the school would probably by now hold classes under tree and student would have no other option than to sleep outside of their hostels to avoid the tragedy of “building collapsed on students” headlines. Not until during the centenary celebration of the school would the old boy team up to revive the lost glory of the school by assisting in building new hostels and renovation of the dilapidated classrooms.
” Even with this, there is little we can do. We are thereby calling on the Kwara state government to look into ways to ameliorate the situation of things. It is so sad and i couldn’t believe this is the GSS i boost to my children that i attended.” -lamented an Alumna who was almost moved to tears as he spoke with THE INFORMANT247 correspondence.
ELECTRICITY AND WATER:
It has been up to five months now since the school witnessed the beam from the rays of light. It was reported that the transformer which serves as the central power unit of the school electrification has been stolen by some unknown people who took advantages of the lack of security on the school premises to penetrate their act. The student now have to rely on their candles to read at night and also sleeps outside to avoid being suffocated inside the room. Students are also seen coming from outside of the school compound with bucket of water balanced on their heads. There is no constant water supply within the school vicinity and even the solar one provided by the Alumnus is now in a deplorable state.
” We don’t have light since over six months now. We use to go out at night to sleep to avoid heat and also their is no more night prep like we used to have in the past. We are suffering. We trekked a very long distance just to get water to watch our cloth and use for some basic necessities. We don’t have Government in this state, this is not what we used to have in my state, if they can come into this compound a steal a whole transformer, are you now telling me the school is secured for students?” – complained a 17 years old student from Taraba state.
FEEDING:
Of all the issues mentioned earlier, the one that seems most vital to most of the students is the need, and which they complains needs immediate and urgent attention, is the school dinning. The school feeding is so poor that student were seen cooking, with firewood, for themselves beside the hostel with no one to challenge them. The students went through hell before getting the small portion of food given to them at the dinning.
” As i talk to you sir, i am very hungry. The food they gave us during breakfast was not even worth to be called a food, that’s why we now cook for ourselves. Our teas are only coloured with one sachet Milo and peak milk. The bean is so watery and i cannot remember the last time we ate rice. We are suffering in GSS (Government Secondary School – a student on Exchange programme complained.
These are only a little of the many problems the school is facing today. Though the old boy’s Association has tried all possible best in reclaiming the lost glory of the school, but this visible can’t be achieved without supports from the state government.