Benue group decries collapse of public schools, blames insecurity

A community group in Benue State, the Tyoshin Strategic Group (TSG), expressed concern on Saturday about the ongoing collapse of public primary and secondary schools in Gwer-West Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The group also attributed the persistent attacks by herdsmen in the area to the local government’s challenges, stating that this situation has contributed to Gwer-West being among the LGAs with the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. They called for immediate intervention to protect the academic future of the community.

Dr. Engr. Felix Atume, the leader of the group, voiced these concerns during a meeting with the Gwer-West LGA council chairman, Hon. Victor Torsaa Ormin, in Naka.

He lamented that only five government-owned primary schools are currently operational in the entire local government area.

Atume emphasised that the number of out-of-school children is increasing daily due to the continued collapse of public schools in the region.

He proposed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently occupying school facilities in displaced communities such as Kula, Jimba, Aondoana, Achagh, Atukpu, Naka, Camp Nagi, and Agagbe be relocated.

He suggested converting schools in affected areas into mega schools to accommodate the rising number of pupils.

Additionally, he recommended temporarily establishing primary schools in Naka town for all displaced students, similar to the arrangements made to facilitate voters’ rights during the 2023 general election.

“We have come to express the alarming decline in the situation of public primary education in Gwer-West LGA, and appeal for immediate intervention. As it’s stands today, only five government-owned primary schools are currently functional across the entire LGA, due to the escalating insecurity and displacement of communities by Fulani herdsmen.

“As a matter of concern that requires immediate action, we wish to hereby suggest the conversion of schools in displaced communities to mega schools. Schools in Kula, Jimba, Aondoana, Achagh, Atukpu, Naka, Camp Nagi, and Agagbe should be converted into mega primary schools to accommodate the increasing number of pupils, while the IDPs currently occupying school facilities should be relocated.

“All displaced primary schools be temporarily established in Naka town, in the same manner that polling units from affected wards were relocated during the last elections.

“Considering the fact that primary education remains the foundation of formal education and a key determinant in computing federal allocation to LGAs, we wish to suggest that the SUBEB teachers recently posted to Gwer-West be fully deployed for the benefit of pupils in the area”. The group leader appealed.

The group, however, commended the council chairman for his efforts so far in tackling security issues and congratulated him on his recent award as the best-performing chairman on security matters in Nigeria.

In his response, the Gwer-west LGA Council Chairman, Hon. Victor Torsaa Ormin, lauded TSG for her developmental initiatives to bring the educational position of Gwer-west to her old days of glory.

The council chairman disclosed that plans were underway to set up a central camp for IDPs to resume normal academic activities in the affected schools.

While assuring TSG that his administration was poised to restore the dignity of education in the local government, Hon. Ormin promised that the idea for a mega primary school would be communicated to the relevant authorities for immediate attention.

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