By Dayo Adesulu
It defies imagination that in the 21st Century, there is a community where students are receiving their lectures in a poultry house.
However, this is the sad situation at Itori Ewekoro in Ogun State where about 1,000 students learn under a dilapidated building used by poultry farmers in the past. This was the case until Oando Plc came to the rescue. Before the visit of Oando Foundation, the oil company’s charity organisation to the primary school recently, the dilapidated building the community referred to as a school was an eyesore.
Students of Itori Ewekoro School in Ogun State, standing in front of their classroom building, during a launch of a block of six classrooms donated by Oando Foundation.
Some students who spoke with Vanguard said that when it rained during classes, students and teachers were often drenched. They said that their notebooks and textbooks were not spared during rain as they often get soaked.
“There were times snakes would move in the classrooms at the peak of learning,” they said. No wonder the community was excited when a brand new block of six classrooms was presented to them. Students of Itori Ewekoro School in Ogun State, standing in front of their classroom building, during a launch of a block of six classrooms donated by Oando Foundation.
The Foundation built a block of six classrooms for Itori Ewekoro Primary School in the community. With the intervention of the Foundation, the make-shift school will now provide a conducive learning environment for the over 1,000 pupils and teachers in line with the Foundation’s mission of improving quality of life and acting as a catalyst for development and social change in the country.
Itori Ewekoro Primary School was adopted by Oando Foundation through its Adopt-A-School initiative aimed at identifying and renovating dilapidated government-owned primary schools across the country. Agonising history The Foundation’s decision to adopt the school was partly due to its tragic history where 10 pupils were killed in a devastating motor accident which led to the relocation of the school to a derelict poultry.
The facility lacked the most basic infrastructure required for effective learning: leaking roofs, dilapidated walls, shortage of writing materials, lack of sanitary facilities, limited access to water and other basic amenities such as desks and chairs. In line with its commitment to sustainable development, the Foundation commenced the restoration project, ‘From Poultry Pen to Primary School’ in March 2016, with the aim of providing access to a world-class basic education for both pupils and teachers.
Partnership with the US Consulate in Nigeria, renowned Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, Temple Productions, and other well-meaning individuals world-wide contributed significantly to this success. The teachers’ capacity have also been strengthened in modern pedagogy and subject content knowledge to better deliver qualitative teaching, utilizing the teaching and learning materials provided.
Additionally, School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) is currently being empowered with the relevant skills to effectively support overall school improvement. Speaking at the event, Adekanla Adegoke, Head of Oando Foundation said: “Oando Foundation has a long history of engagement in Ogun State that dates back to 2012 when it adopted its first school in Akute.
Today, we are happy that pupils and staff of Local Government Primary School, Itori Ewekoro, are witnessing a significant transformation; from learning in a derelict poultry, they now have fully equipped modern classrooms that support their needs.
We have furnished all classrooms and supplied teaching and learning materials that facilitate learning.” The water supply provided will also improve sanitation and hygiene in the school.” Commissioner for Education, Ogun State, Mrs Modupe Mujota said, “Ogun State has continued to see growth in the number of primary pupils enrolling in school and we have worked to ensure that they all have a school as close to where they live as possible.
Where necessary, we have partnered with organizations like Oando Foundation to ensure our schools receive the necessary support to provide best in class education.” To date, the Foundation has expended over N350 million to restore public primary school infrastructure across the nation and in line with growing needs.
The Foundation has further pledged to continually source and identify in-need schools for the provision of quality education and the realization of the Nigerian government’s Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Oando Foundation, Oando PLC’s independent charity organization, has successfully completed the renovation of fully furnished classrooms and an Early Child Care Unit at Itori Ewekoro Primary School, Ogun
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