A Non Governmental Organisation, Innocent Udoidiong Foundation has donated more than fifty dual carriage desks to Secondary Grammar School Ukpenekang in Ibeno Local Council of Akwa Ibom.
Secondary Grammar School is the only public secondary school in the oil rich community of Ibeno but majority of the students sit on bare floor to learn.
The founder of the organisation, Engr Innocent Udoidiong who is also a student in the United Kingdom while delivering the desks on Tuesday said he was moved with sympathy when he saw on social media how students sat on the floor while learning.
Udoidiong who was represented by the National Cordinator of the foundation, Mr Joseph Ekpo said the gesture was to complement the efforts of government in developing education also a clarion call for good spirited individuals to contribute their quota to the growth of education in the area.
He disclosed that such gesture has been replicated in different schools accross some Local Councils in the state and urged the benefiting students to avoid vandalisation of the desks.
“This gesture has been replicated in almost all the local government areas in the state. The foundation was motivated to act following the disturbing pictures on the social media where our children were seen sitting on a bare floor to learn.
“The founder promised to send in some funds so that we construct desks for the students and this is why we are here. I urge the students to avoid vandalisation of these desks.” He said.
Speaking earlier, the media Cordinator of the the foundation, Mr Tony Esin said the information about the plight of students sitting on a bare floor became alarming after report from the mail newspaper.
He added that the national body drew the attention of the founder to the school who sent a team for Needs Assessment stressing that, “the number may not be much but just to encourage the students and also draw the attention of other well-to-do people to complement the effort of government in championing free and basic education in the state.”
Representative of Policy Alert, the organisation that facilitated the investigative report of the school, Diana David commended the foundation for the prompt response after it saw the report on the internet.
David noted that state government should up it’s ante in honoring the social contract it has with the people by providing adequate facilities to schools even as she urged the it to declare state of emergency in public schools.
“Policy Alert is working to promote social justice expecially at grassroots level. One of the tools we use is investigative journalism and we find out the gaps in governance which we take to social media to draw the attention of government and other stakeholders and that was how the attention of Innocent Udoidiong foundation was drawn.
“This effort is just complimentary, government has a social contract with the people and still has the responsibility of providing the basic amenities to them. We use the opportunity to call on the Akwa Ibom state govt to declare state of emergency on education.” She said.
Receiving the items, Douglas Akpan, Principal General of the school expressed joy over the donation and prayed God to bless the donor.
Akpan noted that the chairs would boast the educational standard of the school saying, ‘I’m happy that if a child has a comfortable learning environment he can easily learn what is being taught and urged the state government to do more in terms of provision of facilities.
He recalled that after the report on the state of learning condition of students was made by the journalist, the school had received a 100 dual carriage desks and renovation of a classroom block from the former member that represented them at the State house of Assembly, Rt Hon Okpolupm Etteh.
“I am so happy to see outcome of what I perceived as political arrangement, when this group policy Alert came here and saw things by themselves.
“The population of the school is high since it is the only secondary school in Ibeno, the facilities are grossly inadequate, we are looking for more facilities. My plea to government is that we know that there is free education in Akwa Ibom, but we want improved facility.
“Government has done a lot but we need more facilities in this government owned only secondary school in the area.” The Principal noted.
