Uncompleted classrooms keeping Kaduna pupils out of school

Under the sweltering midday sun, children at Malam Jalo Model Primary School in Rigachukun, Igabi Local Government, hurdle in the shade of a half-constructed building where human faeces welcome them.

This structure, intended to be part of a new block of 24 classrooms, stands as a stark symbol of broken promises and unfulfilled potential. Despite ambitious plans, the project remains incomplete, forcing students to learn in a non-conducive environment.

In 2018, the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Commission (SUBEB), in a 50-50 counterpart funding with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), awarded five contracts to Parkmore Construction Limited for the construction of blocks of 24 classrooms, offices, and toilets across several local governments.

Five schools, including Malam Jalo, were planned to benefit. The UBEC/SUBEB 2015/16 project grant commenced in 2018 with an allocation of N163,165,945.97 and a release of N81,582,972.99 to the contractor.

The remaining 50 per cent was retained by SUBEB to be released upon project completion as stated by officials at SUBEB. Residents say construction stopped in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malam Ahmad, one of Parkmore’s associates, said the contractor requested the state government grant their Nigerian partners a licence to complete the project but the request was refused. He added that inflation has increased the amount needed to complete the projects and efforts to get a revision has not yielded fruits.

“It is unfortunate that disagreement affected all our projects in Kaduna including the SUBEB, despite all our efforts with the previous government and even the current administration, no positive result has been achieved. The previous government denied our Nigerian partners a licence to complete the project when the foreign contractor left during the COVID period with a request of the licence,” said Malam Ahmad.

The initial design for Malam Jalo Model Primary School, a single L-shaped building, had to be altered due to directives from the Kaduna State Road Agency that a road construction will affect the building.

Former SUBEB chairman, Nasiru Umar, said this resulted in two separate blocks. Instead of the L-shaped design: one block with 15 classrooms and another with nine classrooms, making 24 classrooms.

The project’s approved plan shows a three-story building with 15 classrooms, featuring a clean environment and brightly painted doors and windows. However, the project was never fully completed; some parts lacked ceilings and terrazzo flooring.

Additionally, signs of neglect and vandalism are evident, with several back windows removed and turned into makeshift doors and the absence of electrical works.

On the other part is the unfinished three-story structure of nine classrooms with a neglected concrete exterior. Colourful doors contrast with weathered walls, highlighting its incomplete state.

The top floor lacks a roof, exposing metal beams, while the middle floor’s rusting balcony indicates prolonged abandonment. The lower floor is dark and windowless, giving the overall impression of a project left in limbo and in need of substantial work to become functional.

Kaduna State SUBEB Director of Project Management, Munnir Othman, said none of the five projects have been completed.

Also, a previous report of one of the five projects by Ripples Centre for Data and Investigative Journalism in 2020 confirmed the abandonment.

A community elder and father to a primary four student Umar Usman, expressed concern on how their children are learning under half-constructed and abandoned projects, especially in the rainy season.

“The teachers have to combine some classes, about 200 of them, into one classroom,” he said.

Malam Jalo Model Primary School runs Nursery, Primary, and Junior Secondary School with a population of over 5,000 students. Each class consists of sections A, B, C, D, and E. For example, Primary 4, which uses the skeletal classes to learn, has over 80 students in each of its five units, making over 400 students who use only three abandoned skeletal classes to sit for hours of learning.

While the structures remain uncompleted, students, teachers and parents of Malam Jalo Model Primary School still hope for better days.