Despite Huge Yearly Budget Allocation to Education, Osun Primary School Remains in Shambles

Once a lively place of learning, the Irepodun Primary School in Irepodun community, Osun State, now stands quiet and broken. At the inception of the school, it was a place where children in the Irepodun community found their first taste of education. But today, it is dilapidated. 

Sadly, James Olaoluwa, a resident of the community, wakes up every morning with an unpleasant-familiar ache in his chest. It’s not the physical toil of farming that weighs him down, but the knowledge that his children are being robbed of a decent education.

Mr. James, a father of four, is a farmer and block industry owner in Irepodun, where agriculture drives the local economy. His hands are calloused from years of hard work, yet speaks with the softness of a man who dreams of a better future for his family. Now, his dreams are clouded by the reality of Irepodun Primary School, the only public school and an affordable place of earning First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), in the village.

“I can’t take my children to that school,” James said, with a heavy voice of resignation. For him, the decision to keep his children out of the school was not easy, but a necessity to keep his family safe.

“The building is cracked from top to bottom, the ceiling leaks, and there are hardly any teachers left. It’s not just a school in bad condition; it’s a place where hope seems to have died,” Mr James lamented.

He, Mr James, sought for an alternative as sending his children to a private school is a best fit, a luxury he could barely afford and one he chose to bear for the sake of his children’s health and future.

“I can’t spend money on malaria or anything that will happen to them [his children] attending that unhealthy school,” he declared.

Irepodun, a village left behind

Located beside Osogbo, Irepodun is more than just a village: it’s a community of farmers who have lived off the land for generations. It has benefited from its proximity to the state capital, yet, the village is largely forgotten, especially when it comes to infrastructure and education, it has nothing to write home about. The school serves not only Irepodun, but with nine other neighbouring communities.

It is part of a region that merges three local governments: Ede, Atakunmosa, and Osogbo. And a place where palm oil production is a way of life, with its residents revolving around agriculture. However, despite the community’s contributions, the people of Ifelodun feel abandoned by the government: it school that once symbolised hope for the future of their children now stands as a reminder of promises unfulfilled, abandoned.

The school, once a lovely place of learning over some years of its establishment, has seen waves of neglect and partial renovations, with the recent being in 2010 during Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s administration. 

Despite Big Budgets, Osun’s Schools Like Irepodun Still Crumble

Today, Irepodun Primary School is in a state of despair, with cracked walls, leaking ceilings, and insufficient teaching staff. The toilets are non usable, and the few teachers who remain are unable to provide the quality of education the children deserve. 

In 2010 to 2018, Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration emphasised massive investments in infrastructure and manpower in the education sector. The annual budget for education during his tenure ranged from approximately ₦8 billion to ₦15 billion. 

While Oyetola , who initially vowed to continue Aregbesola’s policies, later reversed many of them. Despite this, his administration still allocated considerable funds to education, with budgets  fluctuating between ₦13.4 billion and ₦17.9 billion annually between 2018-2022.

Adeleke, focusing on recovery and reconstruction, allocated ₦5.2 billion to education in the 2024 budget. His administration aims to address the dilapidation in school infrastructure, especially in neglected areas, and restore quality education services across the state.

Despite the huge budget allocated to education, reports have highlighted deteriorating school infrastructure, poor sanitation facilities, and inadequate teaching resources as major issues.

A report by Osun Defender documented how the Oyetola administration failed to complete ongoing education projects, leading to abandoned structures and declining school performance.

The state, which once boasted the highest primary school enrollment in Nigeria, now faces a growing issue of out-of-school children.

However, while Osun State has invested heavily in education over the past decade, the outcomes have been mixed due to policy reversals and inconsistent implementation. 

Pupil reveals shocking state of the school facilities 

One of the pupils in the school, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared shocking facts about the poor state of her school’s facilities. She described the toilets as “very bad” and highlighted the challenges of learning in classrooms that leak during rainfall.

“The roof is almost caving in, and we have to move our desks around to avoid getting wet,” she added. “It’s hard to focus on our studies when we’re worried about getting soaked or sick from the dirty conditions.”

 “Sometimes we have to push through the overgrown bushes just to get to the toilet, and it’s practically hidden in a thicket, making it a daunting and unsavoury place to visit,’ she lamented.

We struggle to make ends meet, yet school fees leave us no choice’: parents lament

Samuel Abel, another farmer from Irepodun and a father of two, has made the difficult choice to send his children to a private school, even though it’s a financial burden his family can barely bear. “We can’t take our children to the school due to its bad condition,” he says, shaking his head. “We are spending extra money despite the fact that we can’t afford private school, but we just need to take our children to school.”

For Samuel, the decision is simple. He wants a future for his children that doesn’t involve the struggles he faces daily. But the cost of that future is steep, and he’s not sure how much longer he can keep up with the payments.

Andrew Peter, a young man of 30 shared similar concerns speaking with the Harbinger. Though not originally from the village, he’s lived there long enough to feel the weight of its problems. “Even though this place is not our land, we have been here for a while now, and it’s not that we don’t want our children to go to public school, but we can’t take them there due to the state of the school. We struggle a lot to pay the school fees,” he explains.

Neglected and forgotten

Samuel David, a 35 year old farmer and a father of three, while condemning the situation of the school bemoaned,”The school is not well arranged. I don’t know why they are still calling it a school. Even the teachers don’t come regularly, and those pupils attending the school do so because they are very poor, because that school is not worthy to be called a school.”

The few children who still attend the school face an environment that is far from conducive to learning. The lack of basic facilities, such as functional toilets and sufficient classrooms, is compounded by the scarcity of teaching staff. The education they receive is a far cry from what they deserve, and their future prospects are dim as a result.

An anonymous woman from the community voiced her frustrations: “There are no teachers in the school, the education is not standard, if the school is okay my children will go there, but the school is the worst. The environment is bad, the toilet is also in bad condition.”

Olalekan Abdulwasiu, a 45 year old resident pointing to the dilapidated buildings, summed up the feelings of the community, “The government has forgotten that there’s a school in this place. During Governor Aregbesola’s regime, they rehabilitated different schools, and people were willing to take their children to public schools, but this time around, no one wants to take their pupils here because of its state.” He said.

Abdulwasiu also pointed to the poor road conditions as a significant factor affecting the school. “The road also affected this school, even during the rainy season no one can pass the road, and the teachers can’t come when there’s no good road, even the children from other neighbouring towns.”

The school is in dire condition- Irepodun school teacher lament

Bello Fatai Ajiboye, a teacher at a school in Irepodun, expressed deep concern over the poor state of the school’s infrastructure, which has led to a significant drop in student enrollment. “Irepodun Primary School  has very few students because of the poor condition of the building. It’s not okay at all, and parents are complaining that it’s not conducive for their children to learn there. We have fewer than 15 students because of the building’s condition,” he said.

Ajiboye recounted efforts to address the situation, including a visit to the Baale, now Kabiesi, of Irepodun, who promised to advocate on their behalf. “We informed him about the building’s state, and he promised to help us beg the relevant authorities to rebuild it,” Ajiboye explained.

Despite a teacher’s effort to engage the Local Government Authority (LGA) by reporting the building’s poor condition, no action has been taken. “One of our teachers told us that they wrote to the LGA, reporting the building’s poor condition. The teacher said he would meet with an LGA secretary, who promised to send officials to inspect the school, but we haven’t seen anyone yet,” Ajiboye noted.

Ajiboye urged the government to intervene, stressing that rebuilding the school could lead to an increase in student enrollment. 

He also highlighted the dire state of the school’s toilet facilities, which are located in a bushy area. “Although the toilet is cleaned with water and Izal, the building remains in poor condition surrounded by bush,” he added. 

Commissioner claims ignorance of school’s condition 

During a phone call, Hon. Sunday Adedipo Eluwole, the state Commissioner for Education, claimed he was unaware of the situation. “If I don’t see it, how will I know a school was abandoned and the buildings were dilapidated? I can’t say anything about it since I don’t know anything about it,” he stated.

After sending him the pictures as he claimed he was unaware of the school, he has not acknowledged or commented on them as of the time of reporting.