HipCity Innovation Centre has called on the FCT Minister Mohammed Bello to improve the state of basic education for the Original Inhabitants (OIs) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Executive Director of the Centre, Bassey Bassey made this call as he briefed journalists in Abuja Tuesday, on the Centre’s project, “Promoting the Rights of the Original Inhabitants of The FCT”, with focus on one of its core mandates of advocating for Basic Education for FCT OIs.
HipCity commissioned 17 Community Vanguards, one from each of the 17 Chiefdoms in the FCT. Their duties, he said, were to identify and report gaps in service delivery in their respective Chiefdoms to enable the organisation advocate with real-time evidence.
Bassey stated that from findings from the Vanguard, children of the Original Inhabitants of the FCT deserve better from the government considering the sacrifices their parents have made to the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians.
He noted that the Education secretariat is planning to carry out a renovation project. He therefore called on the FCT government and its Minister to approve budgetary allocation for the project to begin.
He said, “In Nigeria, according to the Universal Basic Education Act (2004), government is tasked with providing free and inclusive basic education for all Nigerians; however, the extent to which this mandate is carried out leaves much to be desired. While in principle Nigeria has all the necessary legal frameworks, policies and structures relevant for providing quality basic education, the reality is exemplified by the images that we will be displaying at this press briefing.
“There is no substitute for a quality basic education as it is the foundation upon which all other levels of education rest and it sets the pace for how well children will do academically as they go higher. The children of the original inhabitants of the FCT deserve better than the government is presently providing them, considering all the sacrifices that their parents and progenitors have made for the collective good of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“While we are aware, that the Education secretariat is planning to roll-out a project called “Renovate 100 schools in 100 days”, it remains an idea until the implementation begins; therefore, we call on the FCT Minister/FCT government to speedily appropriate budget allocations for the takeoff of the initiative.”
As mandated, the Vanguards investigated 2 primary schools each from Kwali, AMAC, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Bwari Area Councils in the FCT and brought forward reports about 2 primary schools each in their respective Chiefdoms, with pictorial evidence.
The Vanguards found out that: “All schools sampled except L.E.A Primary School, Angwan Dodo in Gwagwalada Area Council, lack a perimeter fence. All the schools have some part of the school building roofs blown off or destroyed by wind, rendering some of their classrooms unfit for use, despite the fact that said classrooms are in some cases, already insufficient for the number of pupils in the school. Also, many of the schools’ buildings are ramshackle with sagging walls capable of crumbling any day. In fact, every single school reported is in dire need of renovation.
“None of the schools have functional toilet facilities. All the schools sampled do not have a functional borehole or pump for water supply. Most schools are grossly unequipped, lack desks and other furniture. Broken bits of these furniture can even be seen littering the classrooms, thereby constituting a hazard to pupils and teachers alike. Most schools do not have a well-equipped and functional playground for pupils.”
SUMMIT Post recalls that after pupils had gone on a long break due to the Covid, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, ordered the closure of schools in Abuja in July 2022 owing to security threats. All of these Bassey said, “are further impeding on the learning and learning outcomes of original inhabitants’ children.”
He worried that on resumption, nothing has changed in improving the state of basic education for the original inhabitants of the FCT.
“We charge the responsible state actors to speedily renovate and equip these schools with adequate number of classroom desks and other furniture; provide modern toilet facilities, improved water sources such as boreholes and pumps, fans and electricity to power them, as well as, fully equipped playgrounds in all schools regardless of how remote the community is.
“Furthermore, in light of the current security challenges plaguing the FCT, there is urgent need for perimeter fences to be built around schools and other security measures to be put in place to safeguard the lives of pupils in schools in the FCT, which was the reason for the premature closure of the schools in July, ” he added
