By Samuel Luka
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Abdulkadir Mohammed, has lamented the poor enrollment of pupils at Government Girls Secondary School, Tafawa Balewa, even as he inspected ongoing rehabilitation work at the school on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists after touring the facility, the commissioner said government was investing heavily to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by a windstorm three months ago, but the impact would not be felt if parents continued to keep girls out of school.
He decried that the school which has the capacity to accommodate about 4000 or more students is currently having only about 200 to 250 students.
“What we are doing here is not just about buildings. We need students in these classrooms to justify this investment,” Hon. Mohammed said. “I am appealing to the school management, religious leaders, traditional rulers and all stakeholders to embark on an intensive awareness campaign to boost enrollment and keep the school functional.”
The commissioner disclosed that rehabilitation of hostels at GGSS Tafawa Balewa, which were damaged by a rainstorm, has reached about 80% completion.
He explained that the viral video that circulated online at the time portrayed government neglect, but the damage was caused by a natural windstorm that also affected four to five other schools in the state.
"It would be recalled some two, three months ago, there was a viral video going around showing the then situation in Government Girls' Secondary School, Tafawa Balewa," he said. "It was not the making of the ministry. It was a natural phenomenon that took place associated with the windstorm."
According to him, Governor Bala Mohammed immediately directed the ministry to assess the damage and commence repairs after being briefed.
"His Excellency immediately called us to know what actually happened. We explained to him that it wasn't our fault, nor the fault of the school. It was as a result of a windstorm," the commissioner said.
"Immediately he approved the contract for the renovation and reconstruction. It's not up to two months, but you can see the job is almost complete. Almost 80% completed." The commissioner stated.
Hon. Mohammed noted that engineers had submitted an assessment report shortly after the incident, which informed the governor’s approval.
He added that even before the storm, government had already approved reconstruction of the school’s perimeter fence.
The new construction, he said, adopts stronger designs to withstand future storms.
"They have brought an innovation now. They have put beams and pillars from every angle that can stand the power of the storm," he said. "And the digital engineering is playing here."
The commissioner was accompanied on the inspection by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, the Director of Physical Planning, the Director of School Services, and other officials.
He confirmed that work is also ongoing in the other schools affected by the windstorm.
"All of them are going to be renovated and reconstructed. We are on it," he said.
Hon. Mohammed also urged citizens to verify information shared on social media before drawing conclusions.
"The issue of this social media thing always portrays things sometimes in a very negative perspective," he said. "We are appealing to our brothers and sisters, when you see things on social media, verify. Find out what is the actual fact. This is because we are up and doing in our government institutions and schools."
"If it were to be maybe another government, maybe in another state, it will take another two to three years before coming here to fix the school. But immediately the issue came up, we swung into action."
Reiterating government’s commitment to public schools, the commissioner said the goal is to leave lasting legacies in education.
"What we expect the general public is to please have faith in us. " He said.
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