Army Children School: It’s no longer lessons on bare floor

A gory picture of pupils taking lessons on bare floor of classrooms amid ceilings that were caving in at Army Day Children School situated in 3 Battalion Barracks of the Nigerian Army, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, was reported by Saturday Tribune in February 2013, calling the concerned authorities to fix it. Last week, EBENEZER ADUROKIYA was back at the barracks with the report that the authorities had done the needful as decency has returned to the school five years after.

The spontaneous excitement that erupted from pupils and teachers of Army Day Children School in 3 Battalion Barracks, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State during the return visit of this reporter and some of his colleagues last week Tuesday was infectious and exhilarating. Life is, indeed good, especially when conscious and deliberate efforts are exerted to make it good.

Some five years ago, pupils of the primary school, most of whom must have graduated by now, were subjected to receiving lessons in a very despicable and debilitating condition that smacked of bestiality and insensitivity on the part of the people in charge. The then pupils, as reported, sat on bare floor to receive lessons, as there were no desks for them, and where desks were available, they could only pass for weapons of injuries! Their teachers, due to the leaking roofs and drooping ceilings of their staff rooms, had converted every available space at the verandas to their offices with rickety tables and chairs to work with. At some instances, some of the teachers began to help themselves with plastic chairs and tables bought with their meager salaries. The curvatured chalk boards had bowed to inclement weather, peeling off in layers, while teachers and pupils were subjected to the inhalation of harmful dusty particles from the use of white chalks on the faded black boards.

Besides, the sanitation situation of the school’s premises was a horrible eyesore: lacking good toilet facilities, the pupils resorted to urinating and defecating indiscriminately on a mounting dunghill near one of the structures while their teachers embarked on long distance treks to banks and available houses across the barracks to find solace to their pressing bowels!

The report, after its publication in Saturday Tribune’s front page in February 2013, elicited fierce reactions from stakeholders including the administration of the then state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and authorities of the barracks headed by the then Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Ifeanyi Otu, who saw the report as an indictment of the military and, therefore, sought an audience with the reporter. Ruffled Otu told this reporter, it will be recalled, that he had been under severe attacks and questioning from both the state government and the army authorities on how he was beaten to the game by the reporter who stole into the facility without an official permission. Interestingly, this reporter, who actually sneaked into the school premises catching in on the then security lapses at the barracks, had not met the army boss one-on-one before the report was published.

This reporter was inundated to report at the army barracks by the then Operations Officer of the barracks, Major Abdulahi to explain the reason behind the publication. He met with Lt. Col. Otu one cool evening in his office with the vehement explanation of speaking for the voiceless and bringing to the attention of the authorities a pressing situation that bordered on the country’s future leaders. Case closed! No positive response followed the report as the psychologically depraved pupils and teachers got to respite thereafter.

But about four years after, specifically in the wake of the sustained attacks on critical economic assets in the creeks by Niger Delta agitators in 2016, a new military outfit was set up to smash the development, thus the Sector 1 Command of the Joint Task Force (JTF) codenamed Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) was inaugurated with headquarters in the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun to replace Operation Pulo Shield which had already outlived its mandate.

The OPDS office, situated beside the Army Day Children School in the barracks, was headed by Commander, Col. Alhassan Grema. This new development became the harbinger of glad tidings that brought a new lease of life to the pupils and teachers of the school.

Even though the school belongs to the Delta State government, but built for the military community, it was reliably gathered that the initiative for the refurbishment was spare-headed by the Sector 1 OPDS Commander, Col. Grema, who described himself as a product of an Army Children School.

The decrepit school structures, a hitherto eyesore to behold by all standards, which was abandoned for years, was given a face-lift – modern roofs, painted walls, good toilet facilities, and equipped with befitting desks, chairs, and modern teaching and learning facilities.

Speaking on the renovation during a fact-finding mission to the school last week Tuesday, Col. Grema disclosed that the command was compelled to embark on the project in conjunction with other stakeholders on discovering the deplorable conditions in which both the pupils and teachers had been learning and working on daily basis for several years.

Narrating how he initiated the move to restore honour and dignity to the pupils, media-shy Col. Grema mooted: “I attended an Army Day Children School. So, when I came here in 2016, I noticed a lot of pupils were passing by my office, but whenever I looked around, I would not be able to see which school they were going to.

“I finally took a walk just behind my office and when I saw the school, it was an eyesore. Pupils were sitting on the ground and whenever it rained, there would not be classes.

“The school was just in a very, very bad state. I remembered the Army Children School I went to for my primary education and I said No! we have to do something about the school and we started.

“To the glory of God and the massive assistance from the Delta State government and our very good friends here in Warri and support from the Army Headquarters as well as Operations Delta Safe, we were able to do the small work that you’ve seen there now which had gone a long way in putting smiles on the faces of the pupils and teachers in the school.”

He further noted that; “education is the only legacy parents can leave for their children and being privileged by God to be in this position I am right now, it became very necessary for me to do this.

The current Head Teacher of the school, Comrade (Mrs.) Diana Ekpan, who betrayed much excitement while taking reporters round the edifice, lauded the Sector 1 Commander, Col Grema, for his commitment in making the dreams of the pupils and teachers of a conducive learning environment in the school a reality.

“The secret to the success story you are witnessing today about the school is the Sector Commander, Col. Grema who came to our rescue when it mattered most. In short, he is the saviour – the God-sent to redeem this School.

The OPDS boss also addressed the porous security of the school. Squeaking on this, Comrade Ekpan noted that; “Since the arrival of the Sector Commander when we laid the complaint on the issue of insecurity within the school environment to him, he immediately posted standby security to guard the school day and night. If you go to the front now very close to the gate there, the post is there . Nobody trespass into the place again”.

“Before him, others Commanders they have been here but he’s exceptional because has a listening ear. He told us that he attended Army Children School and he assured that in any way he could, he would endeavour to put a smiling face on the pupils and teachers in the school and this he has being able to achieve.”

The Assistant Head Master of the school, Comrade John Ovrija, expressed gratitude to the Sector 1 Commander for uplifting the standards of the school in a very short time of being in charge.

One of the class teachers, Mrs Lucky Etaghene, expressed great joy at the leadership quality of Col. Grema and his team at the Sector 1 Command of OPDS.

According to her, the gesture has motivated the pupils to learn more and the teachers to work harder in impacting  knowledge to the students

A Primary 6 pupil of the school, Master Obinna Miracle, could only mutter: “I’m very happy for my school. They have renovated it. I’m very happy about the coming of the Sector Commander to this school. His coming has given us good things and we are happy for everything.

“Before now, we were not using white board, but chalk board and we were sitting on bare floor. I thank the Sector Commander and the government for this good thing they have done.”

Antonia Aghogho, another pupil thanked both the Sector Commander and government for the relief.

“I’m very glad that now, the school is okay. They have painted it. They have given us new chairs, new desks, new tables, new books. I’m very grateful for what the Sector Commander has done for us.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Mr. Maduka Ifejika and Mrs. Josephine Maduemere, a nurse, lauded the renovation, improved learning facilities and improved security atmosphere, which, he said, have contributed in enhancing the physical, mental and psychological capacities of the pupils.

“Since the pupils started studying under the present conducive learning environment created through the efforts of the Sector 1 Commander, I could see a whole lot of improvement in my children who are attending the school.

“This is simply because they are now very happy with the comfortable surrounding in which they are being taught and this has psychologically improved their level of understanding,” Mr Ifejika enthused.