By our reporter
Management and stakeholders of Practicing School, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra state has made a passionate appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to help in rebuilding the burnt classroom blocks of the school.
They said the school has suffered untold neglect and abandonment by the successive governments in the state.
The Save Our Soul Message to the State Government was escalated by the old Boys and Girls Association of the School, during their visit to the school, which they noted had achieved notable marks in children’s lives.
Speaking during the termly PTA meeting, Mrs Aisha Edward Maduagwu lamented continued neglect of the classrooms utterly damaged during an early morning inferno around December 2024.
Maduagwu, Director of the Sickle Cell Orphanage and Underprivileged Home Agulu, who has 10 wards in the school regretted that the root cause of the inferno was yet to be ascertained.
She chided some politicians and representatives in the state and national assemblies for using the unfortunate incident to chase clouts, toying with the sensibilities of victims of the fire incident.
She said, “I recalled seeing a particular sitting house member from the constituency, visited here with a retinue of media aides all wielding cameras, capturing the devastated classrooms, with the promise to build a section of the classroom.
“But to my dismay, they still left the place abandoned after such media hype. These crop of leaders are insensitive and mindless.
“The school authority should restrict such people from coming here to take pictures without any visible assistance.
Children dangerously exposed
Maduagwu noted that the politicians are adding salt to injury, while the children are exposed to harsh weather – rain and cold.
“The present condition of the school is most likely to affect the health conditions of the children, especially now rains are heavy.
“Moreso my own wards because of their health challenges as sickle cell patients which has kept me on high alert in case of any resultant crisis among them,” she added.
Headmistress of the School, Mrs Eucharia Egwuonwu noted that the school belongs to Anambra State and Awka Catholic Diocese, appealing to them to come to their aid.
Reduction in numerical strength
She regretted that the incident had led to the reduction of the numerical strength of the school from 400 to 200 pupils.
The Head Teacher described the school as the foremost citadel of learning in Anaocha LGA.
Also, PTA Chairman of the School, Mr Bede Obidigbo expressed the fear that the children could no longer feel the comfort and serenity expected in a school environment.
He appealed for immediate rehabilitation of the affected classrooms by the government and influential persons in the area.
Earlier, Manager of the School, Rev Father Elias Obikwelu assured the participants that the school authority is making every necessary effort to draw government attention to the pitiable conditions of the classroom blocks through the State Primary Education Board.
He added he has been making effort to contact the member representing Anaocha 1 constituency in the State House of Assembly, Nkechi Ogbuefi, to commence rehabilitation work on the building as promised the school, but to no avail.
“She had not lived up to expectation. This delay has resulted to unfortunate vandalization of the windows and door protectors of the classroom blocks by unknown persons in the area”, he decried.
When contacted, Commissioner for Education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh said the school is one of the mission schools in the state that had benefitted from government support.
“This is one of the mission schools in the state which the government has always supported and will continue to support,” she said.
