A non- governmental organization, Connected Development has raised alarm that the future of the pupils of State School Odiemerenyi, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State is hanging in the balance, unless urgent move is made by government to salvage it.
Speaking against the back-drop of the poor learning environment of the school, the program officer of Connected Development, Nkem Gloria Ibeh said the deplorable state of the school has been a source of worry over the years and needs the attention of the state government.
She observed the school is so dilapidated to the extent that about 80% of the ceiling has fallen off with several cracks on the walls, no teachers while the pupils are in dire need of seats to sit on.
“A learner friendly environment as a veritable tool for qualitative education is non-negotiable”, she declared.
Her words: the school children are suffering, there is no good classroom, no teachers. Can you imagine a situation where nursery 1,2,3 and primary 1 are merged together in a hall simply because there are no teachers and classrooms.
She called on the State government and other corporate organizations to come to their aid.
She also lamented that the people have a water plant that does not work , an NDDC project that has been abandoned.
She called on NDDC to come to their aid, noting that if that water project is rehabilitated, it will go a long way to addressing the challenging of not accessing good drinking water.
Earlier, the Program officer had said the aim of their organization is to support the leaders of communities to demand for accountability and transparency from government, political office holders and corporate organizations in their environment to focus on health and education.
Mr. G Francis Chimezie, a member of the Community Development Committee (CDC) and Hon. Letem Kingsley also expressed their displeasure at the failure to complete the water project.
They accused the contractor for executing a very bad job, saying that the water plant by NDDC is just there as a status symbol and not meeting the need of the people .
According to them, the hardship inflicted by their inability to access good drinking water, especially during the dry season can only be understood by anyone who visits the community to see things for themselves.
They called on NDDC and the State government to urgently consider the plight of the people of Odiemerenyi community and save them from the sufferings and pains of not having access to good drinking water.
