Bizarre: Eket School where pupils sit on bare floor to learn

BY ASSAM ABIA

Over 1,000 pupils of St. Paul’s Lutheran Primary School, Ikot Ibiok in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State sit on bare floor to learn how to read and write due to unavailability of school desks. 

Narrating the plight of the pupils to our reporter, head teacher of the school, Mrs. Grace Daniel Etop said she inherited the situation which has lasted over two years now. 

“It’s an irony that Akwa Ibom State government offers free education to Secondary School level but very unfortunate that these future leaders are forced to sit on bare floor to learn”, Mrs. Etop  said.

She blamed the situation to the insensibility of the authorities concerned and called on corporate individuals to come to the aid of the pupils, since government has failed to respond, adding that she has called the attention of the ministry of education to the situation but to no avail. 

“Apart from lack of school desks for the pupils to sit on, teachers here do not have tables and chairs to sit on. Teaching and learning environment in this school is very deplorable”, the Head teacher said. 

Also speaking, Mrs. Atim Friday Essong, deputy head teacher said there was no electricity in the school because of vandalism. 

“Due to no perimeter fence, vandals intrude into the school premises at night and pull away doors and windows, including electricity installations but the most important and urgent thing needed now are desks for the pupils to sit on” Mrs. Essong said. 

Collaborating, a community leader in Ikot Ibiok, Chief Udo Akpan lamented that all efforts to get government intervene in the situation has proved futile, adding that pupils of the school have by no fault of theirs been subjected to sit on the floor for over three years. 

Chief Akpan however said respite will soon come the way of the pupils as Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil has promised to award contract for the construction of over one thousand school desk for the school as part of its corporate responsibility. 

“I personally approached Mobil and drew their attention to the pathetic situation of pupils in the school and they gave me assurance that something will soon be done as part of their corporate responsibilities to host communities”, Chief Akpan said. 

All efforts to get reaction from the State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Aniekan Sunday Akpan failed as he refused to pick calls directed to his mobile phone including text message.