MonIT, a civic technology platform that provides citizens with information to track the progress of public projects and access public data has lamented the deplorable condition of a primary school in Kano State.
MonIT addressed a letter to Abba Yusuf, the Kano State Governor, after visiting Shawu Islamiyya Primary School in Karfi Ward, Takai Local Government Area (LGA), saying what its officials saw left them deeply disturbed.
“In one of the classrooms, over 62 pupils sat huddled on the bare floor, squeezed into a cramped space with no desks, no chairs, and no teaching materials. There was no blackboard in sight, and not a single sign of comfort,” MonIT said.
“Instead, these children sat barefoot on hot, dusty sand, learning in a room that looked more like a broken shelter than a place for education.”
The non-governmental and non-profit organization said the roof above the children’s heads was a fragile mesh of sticks and straw, barely holding together, meaning that any strong wind or heavy rain could easily bring it down.
The mud walls, according to MonIT were already giving way, leaving wide cracks that let in both the elements and fear, with the organization saying it is not just uncomfortable but very dangerous.
“Yet, this is where these young minds are expected to learn, grow, and build a future,” said MonIT, lamenting that this tragic reality unfolds in a state where billions have been budgeted for education over the years.
“Kano State has received both national funding and international support through programs meant to improve the quality of education, but for children in Shawu Islamiyya and many similar schools, none of that support is visible.
“They are left behind, abandoned in classrooms that offer no protection, no inspiration, and no dignity. One cannot help but feel the pain and courage of these children. Many walk long distances from their villages each morning, driven only by the hope of learning something that could change their lives.
“But when they arrive, they are greeted by ruin, by neglect. Still, they sit, they listen, they try to learn. These are not just statistics or photos; they are children with dreams, struggling to survive an education system that has failed them.”
MonIT said no child should have to learn in such conditions, explaining that it is not just a question of resources, but of priorities and urged the Kano State Government to urgently address the situation at Shawu Islamiyya Primary School and others like it.
It pointed out that this is not the time for more plans or promises, it is the time for action because if education truly matters, then no child should be left in a crumbling classroom with only a straw roof over their head.
“These children deserve better; they deserve classrooms that are safe, inspiring, and equipped for learning. They deserve a government that matches its words with action,” MonIT concluded.
