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.…As shortage of teachers hamper learning
Following the Imo State Government’s dismissal of a damning report by CrimeFacts.news titled “Dilapidated Schools Litter Imo State, as Education Gulps N159 Billion in Five Years,” residents across the state have flooded this publication with fresh outcries, photos, and testimonies exposing the dire state of public schools in their communities.
The Imo State Universal Basic Education Board (IMSUBEB) had vehemently denied the report, calling it “false.” However, indignant residents, parents, and community leaders have doubled down on their claims, sharing disturbing details of crumbling infrastructure, severe teacher shortages, and unsafe learning environments that persist despite billions allocated to education.
Decaying Classrooms
At Ojike Memorial Secondary School, Orlu, pupils are forced to learn on cracked, bare floors in classrooms stripped of doors and windows. “The roofs leak, and when it rains heavy, lessons may stop. How can children concentrate like this?” lamented a parent who shared images of dilapidated structures.
Similarly, Okporo Town School, Okporo Orlu, has six classroom blocks, but only four are partially functional. Even these four lack intact windows, doors, or safe flooring. One of the blocks with eight classrooms have Primary 2–4 pupils crammed into three rooms, each holding 25–30 children. The remaining five classrooms are hardly used because of their state. The school also lacks water and safe toilet facilities, raising hygiene concerns. “This is a primary school – water and sanitation should be basic,” a community leader fumed.
Community interventions
Aborshi Primary School, Izombe; Central School Izombe; St. Philip Primary School, Amakpurudere Izombe; Community Primary School Izombe; LEA Primary School Izombe and Izombe Secondary Commercial School are all in deplorable state requiring urgent intervention to facelift the facilities.
A community leader in the area, Chief Egbufor Chima, confided in our reporters and said, “Aside the poor state of facilities, there is a serious shortage of teachers in all these public schools.
“For instance, in Aborshi Primary School, six teachers excluding the head teacher are volunteer community teachers engaged this January by two illustrious individuals from Umuokwu Izombe.”
It was also a similar scenario in Central School Okwudor, Njaba LGA, the situation is dire. Only three teachers remain after one was transferred, forcing Umuduruogba Village to hire external teachers to keep the school running. The community also completed an abandoned one-story building initiated by former Governor Rochas Okorocha, as government maintenance remains scanty. “We had to act or watch our school die,” a community source, Elder Ojinwa said.
At Ohoba Comprehensive Secondary School, Ohaji Egbema, only the three classrooms renovated by SEPLAT Petroleum seem most decent; the rest of the school buildings are in bad shape. Meanwhile, Mmahu Secondary School, Egbema, grapples with rapidly deteriorating buildings and a serious shortage teachers.
“Many students are leaving to private schools. We have buildings, but they’re rapidly dilapidating without any sustainable maintainance measures in place,” a staff member disclosed.
Public Outrage Grows
Residents expressed outrage over IMSUBEB’s denial, accusing the agency of gaslighting the public. “The government should visit these schools instead of lying,” charged a teacher from Okporo. Others invited officials to “see the reality” themselves.
While communities scramble to patch roofs and hire teachers, critics argue that such efforts are unsustainable. “Why should villagers bear the burden of a sector that received N159 billion in five years?” questioned a retired Principal. “Where did that money go?”
As the state government remains silent on fresh evidence, the plight of Imo’s public schools may be a reflection of a deepening crisis, one that may threatens to displace a generation of students from conducive school environment and qualitative learning.
CrimeFacts.news continues to monitor developments.
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