The Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Riwaza community, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has remained shut for about two years due to the absence of teachers, forcing children to abandon education and return to farming.
The village chief, HRH Mohammed Bature, lamented the situation, describing it as worrisome.
He said the last time the school’s head teacher and one other teacher reported for duty was two years ago, citing insecurity as their reason for leaving.
When there were cases of kidnapping in rural communities, both the headmaster and one teacher stopped coming to the school.
Since then, all efforts to get teachers posted back have failed,” Bature said.
The school, which once served the village’s children, has now been overtaken by weeds, while its buildings are in a dilapidated state.
Bature revealed that the last time he saw the head teacher was in March 2024 when he requested a list of pupils.
“I even gave him land to farm when he told me he liked farming, hoping it would encourage him to stay. But after the kidnappings, he left and never returned,” he said.
Parents in the community have repeatedly appealed to the Kwali Area Council’s education authorities to send new teachers, arguing that security has improved. However, their calls have gone unanswered.
