Faith-based schools in S/East hamstrung by infrastructure deficit, others
Fifteen years after some faith-based schools were returned to their original owners in the South-East, their fortunes have remained unchanged. This is confirmed by the derelict infrastructure, and funding gaps, among other teething issues, which they still reel under, LAWRENCE NJOKU reports.
In April this year, a lawmaker representing Igboeze South in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Harrison Ogara, donated desks to some primary schools in his constituency.
During the presentation, the parliamentarian said that the gesture was part of efforts to rescue primary education in the area, as statistics revealed that 25 of the 45 primary schools in the local council lacked desks, while pupils struggled with substandard learning conditions.
Apart from the dearth of desks, Ogara deplored the pathetic conditions of primary school facilities in the council stressing: “Several school blocks have collapsed, leaving many classrooms in ruins. Where structures still stand, the lack of adequate seats has forced pupils to learn sitting on the bare floor.”
The prevalent condition of most public primary and secondary schools, especially in the rural areas in the South East is nothing to write home about- they all lack basic learning infrastructure stemming from a lack of adequate attention by succeeding governments.
An education administrator, John Ukoha, told The Guardian that improper maintenance of schools’ infrastructure; increased crime rate; loss of morale; examination malpractice, and cultism among other issues predispose students of public schools to poor academic performance.
This perhaps explains why he has sustained his call for the return of primary and secondary schools to their original owners – faith-based organisations.
Ukoha, who retired as a principal three years ago from Ohagu Community Secondary School, Ishielu, in Ebonyi State, added that doing so would curb incessant strikes among teachers in the sector since most of the staff are employed by the church, and Parents Teachers Association (PTA).
“Again, state governments have many other issues that they are battling with other than effectively managing these schools, which they did not build, rather they acquire them in the guise of making them better. But the result is there for all to see,” he said
It was in a bid to address this gamut of challenges that state governments in the region, about 15 years ago, began to return primary and secondary schools taken over by them (several years ago) to their original owners – missionaries. So far, many of the schools have been returned to the missions, while others are still being managed by them.
However, findings by The Guardian show that governments in the South-East have, between 2009 and May 2024, returned no fewer than 2,213 public primary and secondary schools to the mission.
Of this number, Anambra State returned the highest – about 1,041 schools, in 2011 to the church during the administration of Mr Peter Obi. It was followed by Enugu State, which returned 1,007 schools to churches in 2009.
Abia State returned 119 schools to their original owners during the administration of Theodore Orji, while the administration of the immediate past governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, returned an additional two schools during his time.
In Imo State, the administration of Ikedi Ohakim returned 44 schools to their original owners, even as the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma, recently hinted at his administration’s plans to return more schools before he exits office.
In November last year, Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, announced that his administration would return all mission schools to their original owners. Inquiries show that the government is still putting processes together to ensure that the schools are returned before the end of this year.
But thus far, have the returned schools fared any better? Are they making the needed difference in the sector? Findings show that the fortunes of some of these schools have marginally improved. Standards, better learning, and teaching environments are also in place in some, but the greater majority still parade derelict infrastructure; they reek of poor quality teaching, and learning aides, inexperienced teachers, and generally suffer from glaring funding gaps among others.
The Guardian also discovered that to continue to run due to insufficient funding, churches hire teachers that they can afford to pay from among candidates, who are awaiting admission into the universities (for secondary schools), while senior students from secondary schools are enlisted to teach in primary schools as a way of addressing the schools’ manpower needs.
These employments are made irrespective of the experiences and training acquired by these “teachers”. Some of the schools have remained the way they were handed over to them 15 years ago, as no new structures have been constructed in them.
The other challenge that these returned mission schools are facing is that, apart from payment of teachers employed by the government, known as government teachers, no other intervention is received from the government.
The case is, however, different in Anambra State, where an investigation revealed that the state government has continued to fund these schools since they were returned to the mission.
The government’s financial intervention in support of quality education and upliftment of infrastructure, its regulations, and efforts by the churches have made the schools run smoothly with improved infrastructure and teachers.
Records show that between 2011 when the schools were returned to May this year, previous and incumbent governments of Anambra State have invested over N9 billion to improve learning and infrastructure in the returned 1,041 schools. This is aside from other interventions.
Former governor, Peter Obi when he returned to the schools in 2011 released N6 billion to enable effective operation. His successor, Willie Obiano did not slack. In 2014, he shared N1.9 billion from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention fund to mission schools. The money was divided according to the number of schools managed by the churches, with the Catholic Church receiving the highest share of N433 million against the N300 million, that the Anglican Church got.
The incumbent Governor Charles Soludo, recently handed over N1.524 billion to the schools to continue to improve the quality of education and infrastructure in the state
The sharing formula showed that while the Catholic Church got N918 million having been in control of 459 schools, the Anglican Church got N550 million to manage the 275 returned schools. The Salvation Army got N16 million for eight returned schools, and N40 million went to the Pentecostals for 20 returned schools.
Reacting to the conditions of the returned schools, and the incessant intervention of the state government, the Manager of the St. John Secondary School, Awka, Rev Fr. Malachy Maduewusi, stated that it has been impactful, stressing that there was an improvement in almost every facet of education from morals, teaching, to infrastructure.
“Today, students of public schools in Anambra State perform marvelously in academic competitions both locally and internationally, winning various prizes and laurels,” he said.
Explaining further how the system runs, he stated that some teachers are employed by the government and some by the mission, adding that, “we have government and missionary/PTA paid teachers and 65 percent of the tutorial staff payment is taken care of by government.”
In Enugu, the state government in 2009 returned 655 schools to the Catholic Church. These include 638 primary schools and 17 secondary schools. The 352 other schools were returned to the Anglican and Methodist churches in the state.
Except in the employment and posting of teachers whose salaries they pay, and other regulatory services, no government to date has made financial support to enable mission schools to run effectively in the state.
It was gathered that while the schools returned to the Catholic Church were gazetted shortly after they were returned, those of the Anglican and Methodist churches did not come until recently, a development that affected their takeoff.
During the Theodore Orji administration in Abia state, his government returned about 115 schools to the mission including, 100 primary schools, and 19 secondary schools. While the Catholic Church got 32, the Anglican Church got 33; 16 to the Methodist Church, and the rest to the Qua Iboe Church and other churches.
His successor, Okezie Ikpeazu also returned two schools to the Assemblies of God Church, in Aba.
Part of the agreement that the state government reached with the original owners of the schools was to contribute to their infrastructure development and payment of staff salaries. In the bargain also, each school in any church premises was allocated to the church to manage and control.
In Imo state, former governor, Ikedi Ohakim returned 44 secondary and primary schools to their original owners and undertook the payment of teachers’ salaries in the affected schools.
The Guardian discovered that while these schools returned seeking attention, the introduction of the free school lunch program by the Federal Government to boost enrollment in public primary schools made many parents withdraw their children and return them to public schools.
There is also the free education policy for some primary school pupils especially those from primary 1-3 that some parents leveraged to return their children to public schools.
A few returned schools with virile old students associations have taken delivery of some new projects executed by the old students, even as some of the alumni associations assisted in the payment of staff salaries.
A teacher at Urban Secondary School in Umuahia, Mrs Gladys Ume, said that for the returned schools to effectively live up to their billing, the government must continue to fund their activities.
“This is because they hardly generate enough to take care of their numerous needs. Some of these schools are fast losing identity because they cannot maintain their facilities. So, I can say that allowing them to continue to fund their activities will not help in their advancement. They need government support and intervention to survive and thrive better,” she explained.
Her views were corroborated by James Ikenna, a teacher at the Immaculate College, Ugwuabor, who said: “Leaving the schools in the hands of the churches alone will not entirely solve challenges facing education.”
Ikenna added: “There are churches that decided to set up primary and secondary schools within the same compound with public schools. They may have managed these schools based on their policies and programmes. So, returning the schools with different programmes and policies constitute additional responsibilities, which government must help them to shoulder.”
A public affairs analyst, Jude Ugwu, however, stated that it is yet to be seen how the returned schools would continue to survive going forward without the needed funding given some innovations in the education sector.
Citing Enugu State as a case study, he stated that it might be difficult for the state government to invest in the returned mission schools and contribute to the development of her infrastructure with ongoing efforts to set up smart schools in the 260 wards of the state.
“If that project will come on stream and if what they are telling us about it is true, then the mission schools are in for a big challenge. That is because, with the changing trend in education, only those who have the expertise, technology, innovation, and exposure can easily compete and survive,” he said. He, however, suggested a deliberate funding mechanism from the government in states where the schools were returned to enable them to continue to exercise high education and moral standards.
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