Secondary School in Akwa Ibom Receives Donated Seats After Policy Alert Sponsored Investigation
By Ekemini Simon
Organisations and individuals have donated seats to Secondary Grammar School, Upenekang, in Ibeno local government area after an investigation funded by Policy Alert.
The investigative report funded by Policy Alert was reported by TheMail Newspaper.
The report published in September 2022 showed how students of Secondary Grammar School, Upenekang Ibeno sit on bare floors to learn.
The report highlighted that although the government of Akwa Ibom State made a budget of N510.7 million within the eight years of the current administration to provide seats to Akwa Ibom public schools, release of the funds have been controversial hence causing dearth of seats in public schools.
The impact of the investigation came to the fore less than a month after the report as 130 dual carriage desks have so far been donated to the school.
A Non-governmental Organisation, Innocent Udoidioing Foundation on Tuesday October 11, 2022 presented 30 dual carriage desks to the school.
The donation comes after 100 dual carriage desks were also donated by former House of Assembly Member of the area, Mr. Okpolump Etteh.
According to the Principal of School, Emmanuel Akpan, the 100 dual carriage desks donation came about a week after the report and is accompanied by the renovation of a four classroom block by Etteh.
The Principal of the school expressed profound gratitude to the donors, TheMail Newspaper, and Policy Alert for their efforts.
” Since you came, saw the situation yourself and were moved to report, I want to say that we have had several interventions. After the report, Okpolump Etteh gave us 100 dual carriage desks and undertook the renovation of a classroom block.
“If you saw our problems and kept quiet, we would not have come this far. May God bless you. No hindrances shall come your way.”
Earlier at the presentation on Tuesday, the Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tijah Bolton-Akpan commended Innocent Udoidioing Foundation for the intervention.
Represented by the Program Officer of Policy Alert, Dinah David, the Executive Director of Policy Alert charged the government to live up to their responsibility of providing quality education to the people.
He said ” One of the strategies we use to effect positive change is to support investigative Journalism so that the attention of the government may be drawn to noticeable gaps.
“We thank the foundation for this donation. But how many desks will these organisations or individuals be able to donate? What this organization is doing is just to support. Many schools without seats are littering the State. Yet, It is not the responsibility of the foundation to make social services functional in the community. It is the responsibility of the government.”
Policy Alert called on the government to be reminded that they have a social contract with the people to give quality education.
While stressing that the state of basic education in Akwa Ibom State is very poor, the organisation called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to declare a state of emergency in basic education.