In a distressing plea for assistance, students and teachers of Jonkrama Grammar School, located in the Engenni area of Ahoada West Local Government, Rivers State, have highlighted the dire condition of the school's infrastructure.
Students and teachers lamented the severe shortages of chairs, desks, roofs, and learning materials, among other critical deficiencies.
The respondents who prefer to remain anonymous said the school has been a hiding place for hoodlums.
They also complained that they cannot use the classrooms anytime it rains as the premises are usually taken over by floods.
One of the students said the staff room is an eyesore and very unconducive for any teacher to stay.
They expressed shock that a school located in an oil-producing region of the country could be so dilapidated and abandoned, despite the huge resources that accrue to the government account from the region.
They appealed to the government and politicians to rehabilitate the school to ensure that it continues to produce the caliber of students it had produced in the past.
Eniata Ebiebe, a pioneer student of the school, reminisced about its glorious past.
He said the school, established in 1973, won laurels in and outside the state before deteriorating in the late eighties but was quickly savaged by the government.
He linked the level of destruction witnessed in the school to its isolated location.
Mr. Ebieba appealed to the Rivers State government to rehabilitate the school just the way it has reconstructed and remodeled other schools in the state
Several classrooms at Jonkrama Grammar School lack roofs, the school premises are overrun by weeds, and become flooded during rainfall.
Students are compelled to sit on the floor to learn.
The Jonkrama community in Ahoada West is home to over 40 oil wells operated by multinational corporations.
The state of the educational institution serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for attention and investment in education.
The future of countless students hangs in the balance as they strive for a quality education in the face of crumbling infrastructure.
We hope this plea for help will inspire prompt action from relevant authorities and stakeholders to rescue the school from its current state of neglect.
