Students learning in Esenaebi College in Bomadi, a coastal community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, may move to nearby communities if they must learn with modern facilities and measure up with their colleagues in other schools in the state.

The school, which was built in the colonial days, was named Esenaebi Teacher Training College, prior to 2006 when it was converted to Esenaebi College. Then it was the academic hub of the then Western Ijaw Division during the defunct Midwest Region of Nigeria.

But when the Teacher Training College was reduced to a mere secondary in 2006 during the administration of former governor of state, Chief James Ibori, that was the beginning of abandonment of the school.

Also, in the days of the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the school was not part of the schools renovated by his administration.

A visit to the college would show a dilapidated school building where students now learn in ram shackled structures without facilities for effective learning and assimilation.

Chairman of the College’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Erebor Amafaotu, recently took journalists round the dilapidated school structures, pleading with the state government and other good spirited agencies to come to the aid of the college.

The chairman told journalists that the school still makes use of facilities that were brought in 1956 when the college was founded by the then colonial masters.

As he took journalists round the structure, one could see that most of the school buildings have collapsed, the few ones being used as classrooms are in a very bad state with some blown off roofs and cracked walls which are close to caving in.

The PTA Chairman said during rains teachers and student cannot learn due to leakages, which, according to him, pose a big risk to students in the school.

He noted that the state of the school affects the students’ health and ability to assimilate during classes. The visibly worried Amafaotu said if urgent attention is not given to the school, it might eventually be abandoned and the name of the school forgotten.

Vice Principal of the College, Friday Ekpulu, urged the state government to consider the plight of the students and help bring back the glory of the school, saying the what is needed now at the school was total overhaul of the school, which would involve erecting new structures, perimeter fencing, providing library, science laboratory and equipment for the college to compete with others in the advanced technological age.

According to him, “when it rains, learning comes to an abrupt end due to leakages all over the roof. The absence of these facilities has adversely affected learning.” He stressed that the plight of the school is not limited to infrastructure alone, but teachers as well, just as he pleaded with the state Ministry of Education to revamp the College and also employ teachers to the school.

•Photo shows Esenaebi College in Bomadi, Delta State.

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