No fewer than 150 pupils and their teachers have been evacuated from the nearly 100-year-old Nawaitudeen Primary School in Isale Ijeun, Abeokuta, Ogun State, over fears that the building could collapse.
The school has reportedly deteriorated to an unsafe condition, forcing teachers to move pupils out of their classrooms and relocate to a single hall belonging to the Nawaitudeen Islamic Society.
The development was disclosed in a report released on Monday by civic technology organisation TrackaNG, which called on the Ogun State Government to urgently renovate the school.
According to the report, about 150 pupils currently attending the school are being forced to share the same hall, with all six classes operating in one space.
The arrangement has made learning difficult, as pupils in other classes are expected to remain silent whenever one class is receiving lessons. Teachers also have to take turns using the limited space.
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TrackaNG described the situation as unacceptable, adding that many parents had withdrawn their children from the school because of its poor condition.
The organisation also expressed concern that the situation had continued despite assurances that the Ogun State Government had approved the school’s renovation.
It questioned why the promised intervention had yet to begin almost one year after the approval was reportedly communicated to the school.
TrackaNG appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to urgently intervene, warning that the future of the affected children should not be left uncertain because of the lack of safe classrooms.
The organisation called for the immediate rehabilitation of Nawaitudeen Primary School, the provision of a safe learning environment and the restoration of proper public education facilities in the community.
It stressed that pupils should not be forced to study in overcrowded makeshift classrooms when they deserve a safe and conducive environment for learning.
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