The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items donated to students include, sanitary pads, pants, blankets, mats, books, hypos, pencils, and soaps, amongst others.
Some students of the Centre for Special Education, Gombe State, have appealed to the state government and other stakeholders to urgently renovate the school’s facilities ahead of the rainy season.
The students made the appeal during the donation of sanitary pads and books to the school by the Muhsal Disabled Support Foundation in collaboration with the Advocacy Centre for Development (AC4D) on Friday in Gombe.
Maryam Garba, a Senior Secondary Three (SS3) student of the school from Yobe State, said she had been in the school for four years and no single renovation had been done.
Garba said the poor state of the school made it difficult for the students to learn as they had to grapple with so many challenges.
She said as the rainy season was approaching, many of the students were already apprehensive because the roofs of some of their classrooms had been blown off.
“The cold and rains make us fear more during the rainy season.
“Some of the classrooms have been abandoned because of their poor state; no roof and so we now have to combine students of different classes in one room.
“I kindly appeal for repair of our facilities so that the rains will not disturb us in our classes or force us to stay out of the classes,” she appealed.
Hauwa Dauda, another student, said the school needed a face-lift so that the students could feel the comfort that students in other good schools were enjoying.
Dauda said: “Even our toilet facilities lack proper roofs and the wet season for us is just a sorry tale; just come here during the rains, you will understand better.
“You will shed tears when you see the way we live during the rains. No toilet roofs and that’s why open defecation is common here.
“Our toilets are bad, classrooms not fit enough for learning and even the facilities you see in special schools like ours are not available here.”
For Comfort Ephraim, a primary four pupil, the rains mark the beginning of a difficult academic exercise for the students.
Ephraim said those who were visually impaired were often worst hit during the rainy season: “When the rain is falling, many run to hide where the roofs are better but no one to help us.
“It is tough learning under an open roof but there is nothing we can do because we want to get educated and be able to be part of society.
“We hear on the radio the schools being built by Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, but we are yet to feel that impact in our school.
“So, we are appealing to him to help this school.”
Saratu Abdul, a Junior Secondary Student, said if urgent repairs were not done, the whole roofs of the buildings could be blown off by wind during the rainy season.
“We are risking our lives here but there is nowhere else to go and that’s why we are using this IWD to beg for intervention,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items donated to students include, sanitary pads, pants, blankets, mats, books, hypos, pencils, and soaps, amongst others.
The theme of the International Women’s Day 2024 is, “Inspire Inclusion.”
