AMAC: Maikalangu doles out 288 desks to LEA schools

Stories By Stanley Onyekwere

As part of its ongoing intervention drive, the leadership of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), has doled out no fewer than 288 desks to four LEA primary schools in different areas across the council.

In particular, the schools include LEA primary School, Chorin Bisa (75 desks), LEA primary school, Wassa Apo (75 desks), LEA primary school, Dakibyu (63 desks) and LEA primary school, Garki (75 desks).

Presenting the items, Chairman of AMAC, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, said the donation is a demonstration that the council cares for the people, especially  that the education of the children of AMAC is the priority of the current administration.

Maikalangu, who was represented by the AMAC Supervisory Councillor for Education, Hon. Obiora Arinze, the authorities of the Council will do everything possible to ensure that they provide a conducive environment for the children.

“It gladdens my heart that the desks are appreciated by the schools. It is not the first time, we have come to Chorin Bisa. We have been here before for different interventions, including renovation of the buildings. We fixed new ceilings in some of the classes.

“When we came for assessment few months back, we saw that the pupils were sitting on the floor to learn. That’s why we decided to provide desks for the pupils.

“ We will be coming from time to time, as education is important to the development of any society. We are interested in the development of the pupils and we will continue providing for their welfare,” he affirmed.

In her appreciation, the Head-teacher of LEA Primary School, Chorin Bisa, Mrs. Liberty Emmanuel, said “we’re grateful to the Chairman of AMAC, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, for this intervention. It is overwhelming, because we have been sitting on the floor to learn. Even our teachers have been sharing desks with pupils.

“ We don’t also have toilets here, so we will be grateful to the chairman if he can help us with the construction of toilets and provision of desks, including tables and chairs for teachers.

“We don’t have offices. We share the classrooms with pupils as offices. If it is raining, you will see the teachers and pupils standing up because the roofs are leaking. So, the intervention of the Honourable Chairman is really needed in this school.”

Similarly,  Head-teacher of LEA Primary School, Wassa Apo, Comrade Shuaibu Musa Karshi, said the school has 420 pupils, but that the pupils have been sitting on the floor to learn.

He noted that the distribution of desks for some of the 420 pupils in the school is a good reference point.

“We are grateful to the Honourable Chairman of AMAC for this rare show of magnanimity. If you had come here earlier on, you would have seen the pupils sitting on the floor to learn. It’s a pathetic situation. Therefore, we’re grateful that the chairman remembered to provide desks for us.

“It means a lot to us. We have 420 pupils in the school, so these desks will go a long way in supporting their learning in a conducive environment. We are also grateful to the chairman for the ongoing construction of another classroom block and toilet for us. Words alone cannot express how grateful we are”, he said.

On her part, the Head Teacher, Mrs. Nkiru Anaenyeonu, who received the 63 desks for the school, thanked the Council for remembering the school in the desks intervention initiative.

She however appealed to Maikalangu to look into assisting  the school with teachers and toilet facilities, lamenting that the school has only two teachers and a volunteer teacher to cater for about 100 pupils.

According to her:  “We are grateful to the Honourable Chairman for this special intervention in the provision of desks for our pupils. It is so commendable because the pupils have been learning while sitting on the floor, thereby making learning to be difficult.

“However, I also want to use this opportunity to beg the Chairman to come to our aid with regards to posting of teachers to this school. We have only two paid teachers for the 100 pupils in the school. Some of the teachers posted here always apply to be changed because of the environment.

“We also need security. The school is in a place that is lonely and needs security. Sometimes, you will see policemen chasing criminals into the bush surrounding the school. It needs fencing and security because of the children. We don’t have a toilet here. We always go to the toilet in the bush. Imagine the embarrassment of teachers and pupils using the bush for toilet.

“Also, there is need for a secondary school here. Parents are not sending their children here because of the loneliness. However, if there is a secondary school, the grown-up ones will encourage parents to send their young children here. It is a pathetic situation that needs urgent intervention.”

Not left out, the Head-teacher, the LEA primary school, Garki, Mr. Kasimu Jibrin Karshi, who also thanked the Council, promised that the school will make good use of the 75 desks it received provided, as as it will help to encourage learning there.