Many pupils are being forced to learn in dilapidated classrooms with no desks, chairs, or proper roofing at the LGEA Primary School Olegodege in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State
Monitng, a civic technology platform, asserted that the school’s classrooms, held up by weak wooden poles and patched with palm tree branches, are on the verge of collapse.
According to the statement posted on X on Saturday, when it rains, learning stops. When the sun blazes, pupils endure the scorching heat. Yet, despite the unbearable conditions, these children return daily, hoping for an education.
It reads in part; “Our recent visit to LGEA Primary School Olegodege in Agatu LGA, Benue State, revealed a devastating reality. Over 56 pupils are crammed into classrooms with no desks, no chairs just bare floors and broken walls.
“The classrooms are literally falling apart supported only by wooden poles and palm tree branches for roofing. When it rains, learning stops. When the sun scorches, they sit under it. Yet, these children show up, hoping to be taught. Hoping for change.
“This level of neglect is not accidental it’s systemic. Despite billions of naira budgeted for education annually, past and present governments have failed these children. Their learning spaces have become symbols of abandonment.
“What’s happening in Olegodege is a reflection of the wider crisis in Benue State. Across the state, schools are crumbling. Pupils are dropping out not because they’re lazy, but because their schools are unfit for human use. This is why the number of out of school children keeps rising.
“We call on the @benuestategovt to wake up to this tragedy. Rebuild these schools. Provide desks, materials, and safe classrooms. Education is not a favour,it’s a right. And the children of Benue deserve it now,” the statement reads.
