By Mubarak Ibrahim
Pupils of Dindun Community Primary School in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State continue to learn under trees due to an acute shortage of classrooms, leaving many residents frustrated over years of unfulfilled promises.
Community leaders say they have made several efforts to address the problem, including self-help initiatives to build classrooms, but the structure remains uncompleted.
“We as a community have worked tirelessly to solve this problem. About six years ago, we contributed some money alongside neighbouring villages to construct a classroom block for our students, but it’s yet to be completed. We’ve done our best; we are mostly low-income earners,” said Mallam Umar Garba, the Imam of Dindun community.
Mallam further lamented that the government-owned school currently has only four teachers handling the entire primary section.
“Some volunteers are willing to assist, but we have nothing to give them as appreciation. Even the corps members posted here often leave because they find it difficult to cope with our rural lifestyle. Meanwhile, government policy forbids us from collecting any money from the students,” he explained.
He called on the government to recruit teachers from within the local area to ensure stability in the school system.
“I believe the shortage of teachers is due to the posting pattern that favours urban areas. Many teachers posted here avoid coming because of the distance. If government can employ indigenes of this locality, the issue of teacher shortage will be resolved,” Mallam appealed.
A stakeholder in the community, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that a former Commissioner in Kano and the current State FCT State Minister, Hajiya Mariya Bunkure, had promised to assist in completing the building project during one of her visits.
“On her way passing through a few months ago, we stopped her to present our demands. She promised to contribute to finishing the block, but six months have passed and nothing has been done,” the source said.
Currently, more than 500 pupils are learning under trees, as most of the existing classrooms are dilapidated and unfit for use — some now serving as shelters for rodents.
Efforts to get comments from officials of the Bunkure Local Government Secretariat were unsuccessful as of press time.