The Akwa Ibom State Special School at Mbiaobong Etoi is enveloped with mixed feelings as the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, renews his pledge to visit the school.
During a media briefing held to commemorate the state anniversary on Saturday, September 21, 2024, this reporter reminded the governor of his pledge to the special centre, and he reaffirmed his promise to visit the school before the end of October 2024.
In his words, “Yes, I made a promise to visit that school; you must forgive me. But between now and the end of October, the education commissioner must ensure that I visit the school, no matter what.
“I would love to visit the school because it is a precious school, and we must show compassion and also empathy.”
The special centre, which is plagued by long-standing challenges, urgently requires government intervention, making the envisaged visit of the governor very demanding.
Pastor Eno’s first announcement to visit the school came on May 28, 2024, during a media chat to commemorate Nigeria’s return to democratic rule. The news had stirred excitement among the students and staff in the institution, but it fizzled out when the governor could not keep to his promise.
It is on that premise that his second pledge to visit the school has rather garnered conflicting emotions, as people are sceptical whether he would be dedicated to fulfilling his promise to these vulnerable children or dash their anticipations the second time.
But as he spoke at the September media chat, there is a strong desire by the governor to visit the school to see things for himself. As it is, there is a lingering fear that the poor state of the school and its poor maintenance may discourage students, especially those with special needs, from abandoning their education.
One of the teachers, who stood on the condition of anonymity, told this reporter that the school is likely to close down due to negligence.
Furthermore, the teacher disclosed that some instructors are on the verge of quitting their jobs because they have not been paid for six months, noting that this problem may exacerbate the existing crisis.
Apart from this issue, this reporter learnt that last term, children with impairments who live in the hostel went on hunger strike due to a low budget. This incident contrasts with the previous administration, which made efforts to ensure an adequate food supply for the children’s well-being.
The school principal, Mrs. Ememabasi Isaac, expressed concern about inadequate food supply to disabled students in the school due to insufficient allocation from the state government. She decried that sometimes the students have to depend on sporadic donations from private individuals to access their next meal.
What’s truly pathetic is that some parents of the students tend to abandon them in school, failing to visit even monthly. They only show up at the end of the term when school closes.
Furthermore, additional obstacles, including insufficient instructional resources, outdated libraries, broken-down classrooms, and limited accommodation, aggravate the difficulties students face.
A visitor would readily notice the deteriorating infrastructure in the school. Some buildings, which were last renovated in 2019, are an eyesore, exposing students with disabilities to health risks and an unconducive academic setting.
These harrowing experiences are alarming, as it is feared that many students with disabilities may drop out this new term because of the prevalent challenges. With private special and inclusive schools being expensive, they may be coerced to discontinue their education.
It is worth noting that the success of Governor Eno’s pledge hinges on his ability to deliver on his promises, particularly given that his administration focuses on educational advancement, as outlined in the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda.
The governor’s visit will offer an opportunity to transform the Mbiaobong Etoi Special School and the lives of its students by providing the necessary resources, enabling them to access inclusive and equitable quality education, and promoting lifelong learning prospects.
Fulfilling his promise will also provide modern classrooms, libraries and assistive technology, upgrade infrastructure and facilities, and increase enrolment and retention rates.
Also, this will elevate teaching standards and the environment, foster inclusive education in diverse communities, and advance disability rights.
The commissioner for education’s apparent reluctance to facilitate the governor’s visit to the Special Centre undermines Sustainable Development Goal 4’s objective of ensuring every child’s access to quality education, thereby exacerbating educational disparities in the state.
Hopefully, the commissioner, Idongesit Etiebet, will, as the governor emphasised in the recent media chat, prioritise the governor’s visit to the Special Centre before the end of October 2024. This would be a significant step towards bridging educational disparities in the state.
Additionally, the state’s policy of free and compulsory education aims to provide every child, regardless of their background or financial situation, with access to quality learning from primary to secondary school. Sadly, Mbiaobong Etoi Special School appears to have been left out of this plan.
That is why the visit of Governor Eno to the school is quite demanding. He is expected to fulfil his second promise to the Special School at Mbiaobong Etoi so as not to dash the children’s hope to the wind again.
In his over 16 months of governance, Pastor Eno is known as someone with deep compassion. So the students, staff and community therefore await tangible actions and results from the state governor, hoping he will turn his promise into reality.
