The people of Ofunmwegbe popularly called Okada junction in Ovia South West Local Government have called on the Edo State government to come to their aid and rebuild the only primary and secondary schools in the community which are in dilapidated state.
They also noted that several appeals in the past did not get positive response, while also decrying a situation where pupils sit on bare floor to receive lectures.
Lamenting the poor state of the schools, chairman of the Community Governing Council, Imuentinyan Ighodaro, on Tuesday said the poor state of the schools has led to parents withdrawing their wards.
He said “The school was not fenced and that has made it possible for hoodlums to also go in there and vandalise the place. As we speak, there are no windows and all the roofs have gone bad. There are no ceilings, no chairs and the children right now sit on the bare floor to learn and because of that, many parents are withdrawing their children from the school.
“The floors are also broken. The whole of the school is in very bad shape. We have a block of six classrooms and another block of five classrooms. We have government teachers there but they are not enough.
“As a matter of urgency, we want the government to come to our aid and put the school in order for our children. They should renovate it and erect fence to secure it and stop hoodlums from coming in. If the government is able to do this, the community will provide security personnel to guide the schools.”
A staff member of the State Universal Basic Education Board, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the state government was adopting a holistic approach to schools rehabilitation.
