Anthony Ademu Adaji, the Catholic Bishop of Idah Diocese, has expressed concern over the decay and deterioration of public primary and secondary schools in the rural areas across Kogi State.
The clergy, therefore, called on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State to wake up to his responsibility in addressing the challenges faced by public schools in Kogi East, decrying a situation where public secondary school students are receiving lessons and writing examinations on the floor despite the huge sum of money the State Government claimed to have committed to education sector in the last nine years.
According to BusinessDay, Adaji stated this during chrism mass held at Saint Boniface Cathedral under the Catholic Diocese of Idah to commemorate the institution of Catholic priesthood.
The Bishop, who was visibly not happy over the situation , lamented that less than 10% of public schools are functioning in Kogi State, saying the worst affected by the deplorable infrastructure in education system among the three Senatorial Districts of the State is Kogi East.
He stressed that most schools in Kogi East Senatorial District had deteriorated beyond imagination, asking whether “there is still Government in Kogi State”.
“On a very serious note, you can not get 5% functional public schools in Kogi East, yet billions of naira are being budgeted for education year in, year out. In the last eight or nine years, it has been a total shambles in the area of education in rural communities in Kogi State.
“Kogi State Government should stop deceiving itself by using the public schools in the State capital to judge the condition of schools in the local government areas.
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“Our concern is that the larger population of the people in Kogi State dwells in the rural areas, and regrettably such places, their educational system, especially secondary and primary schools, are in precarious situations at the detriment of the children who we claim are leaders of tomorrow.
“If you visit some government schools, both secondary and primary schools in Kogi East, if you are a lover of education and you know what education can do to humanity, you will weep. Therefore, Governor Ododo should do the needful before it is too late.
“I am appealing to Governor Ododo that as he has started the goodwill of paying regular salaries to both State and local government workers, he should also include education and infrastructure as part of the mandate of his responsibility as both are necessary for the development of Kogi State”, the Bishop said..