The Nigeria Education News Team, during a live visit to Ansar-ud-Deen Grammar School, Atile, Ikire, Osun State, uncovered a troubling case of total academic neglect as students were found stranded without any teaching activities taking place. The visit, conducted during normal school hours, revealed a school environment in disarray, with students left to fend for themselves in the absence of classroom supervision or structured learning.
Upon arrival, our team observed dozens of students wandering aimlessly around the school premises. Many were seated idly in empty classrooms, while others loitered in the corridors, playing games or chatting in groups. The most alarming sight was that of students leaving the school premises to engage in activities far removed from education, including visiting nearby betting shops to play gambling games.
Several students confided in The Nigeria Education News Team, expressing frustration and helplessness over the situation. According to the students, the teachers did not enter the classrooms that day, leaving them to roam freely without lessons. “We came to school, but there is no teacher to teach us today. Some people went out to play ball; some even went to bet,” one student lamented.
Our reporters also encountered groups of students playing football on nearby streets, completely unsupervised. When asked why they were not in class, they responded that no teacher had come to instruct them or even check on their activities. “This is how it has been sometimes. We just come and wait or play till closing time,” said another student who preferred to remain anonymous.
Further investigation by The Nigeria Education News Team revealed that this is not an isolated incident but part of a growing pattern of negligence within the school. Local residents confirmed that on several occasions, students are seen outside the school premises during school hours, often wandering into the streets of Atile, engaging in sports, gambling, or idling at local shops due to the absence of academic activities.
A junior staff member, who spoke off the record, admitted that the teachers failed to carry out their duties that day but refused to explain the reason behind their collective inaction. “There are issues, but I can’t say much. The teachers just didn’t teach today,” the staff member told our team.
The situation raises serious concerns about the state of public education in Osun State, especially as students are now exposed to social risks such as gambling, street violence, and truancy under the watch of a failing school system. Parents expressed deep worries, calling for government intervention. “Our children are being sent to school, but no one is teaching them. If this continues, we are raising future dropouts and criminals,” a visibly distressed parent told our reporters.
The Nigeria Education News Team tried to reach the school management for official comments, but neither the principal nor senior administrative staff was available to speak at the time of the visit. Calls placed to their known contact numbers went unanswered.
Education stakeholders argue that this level of neglect is symptomatic of larger systemic failures in Nigeria’s public education sector, where underfunding, poor teacher motivation, and lack of monitoring are crippling learning outcomes. The Universal Basic Education Act guarantees free and compulsory education, but incidents like this prove that classroom presence is meaningless without quality teaching and active engagement.
As it stands, students at Ansar-ud-Deen Grammar School remain victims of a broken system. Unless urgent action is taken, the academic future of hundreds of students in Ikire risks being derailed by neglect, poor supervision, and a dangerous lack of commitment to education by those entrusted with their development.
The Nigeria Education News Team will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as events unfold.
