For more than two years, students of Junior Secondary School, Banni Community, Ilorin West Local Government Area, attended classes in buildings weakened by storms, forcing teachers to improvise and overcrowd the few classrooms that remained usable.
That reality is now beginning to change.
The Universal Basic Education (UBE) Fund has commenced the renovation of dilapidated classrooms and key facilities at the school, following years of infrastructural decay caused by storm damage, school authorities confirmed.
A visit by our reporter to the school showed ongoing construction work across several sections of the premises. The intervention covers classrooms from JSS 1 to JSS 3, a hall, staff room, toilets and a borehole water facility.
According to the principal, Hajia Bola Mayaki, the project began on December 28 after the school was briefed by the local government authorities on the scope of work facilitated under the UBE intervention.
“This renovation is a major relief for us,” she said. “Since 2022, some of our classrooms have been badly affected by storms, and we have been managing with the few that were still usable.”
Lingering infrastructure gaps
While welcoming the renovation, the principal noted that the school still faces challenges that could affect the sustainability of the upgraded facilities.
One of the major concerns, she said, is the absence of a perimeter fence around the school, which exposes the premises to constant encroachment from surrounding communities.
“The lack of fencing has led to people using the school as a passageway, open defecation within the compound, and even illegal gatherings during holidays when students are away,” she explained.
She also identified the absence of an ICT laboratory and a functional library as gaps that continue to limit the learning experience of students, despite the ongoing infrastructural upgrade.
Managing resumption amid construction
School officials said the renovation project is expected to last about one month and will run into the academic term. To minimise disruption to learning activities, the management plans to temporarily utilise classrooms in the senior section of the school.
According to Hajia Mayaki, engineers on site are making efforts to complete some classrooms quickly to ensure that academic activities are not significantly affected.
“We are committed to making sure the children’s academic calendar remains intact,” she said.
Contractor assures quality delivery
Speaking at the site, the project site manager, Architect Sulyman, said construction work was progressing steadily and that the contractor was committed to meeting the project deadline.
“As you can see, work is going on well,” he said. “We are ensuring that quality materials are used, and we are confident the project will be completed within the stipulated time.”
The project is being executed by Sahel-Associates Ltd. The site manager noted that further details on the intervention would be communicated by the company’s media team.
Earlier UBE-supported renovations
In addition to the ongoing project, the principal disclosed that two classrooms had earlier been remodelled and rehabilitated under a Federal Government-funded UBE intervention through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) before the school vacated for first-term break in November.
One of the rehabilitated classrooms, she said, will be used temporarily to manage space challenges pending the completion of the current renovation.
For teachers and students alike, the intervention signals a gradual but critical response to long-standing infrastructure challenges in public basic education schools even as school authorities say more support is needed to fully secure and modernise the learning environment.
