In the heart of the remote village of Kutaru in Bauchi State, a structureless Kwanan Dutse Nomadic Primary School – once stood as a beacon of hope for over 300 pupils.
With nothing but a simple zink mini-container classroom constructed by a foreign NGO about five years ago, the school only teacher Abubakar Abdullahi Usman (now late) defied all odds, offering the promise of education to children who had little else to rely on.
WikkiTimes’ investigative report revealed that the Nomadic school was established in 2008 along the Bauchi – Liman Katagum road just 20 km away from the Bauchi State governor’s office, the school is in a pathetic condition interpreting how neglected some schools look in the state.
But tragedy befell the entire community when Malam Abubakar passed on March 3, 2024, leaving behind a space that could hardly be filled.
In his interaction with WikkiTimes on November 7, 2022, Malam Abubakar who was the headmaster, teacher and everything else of the school, explained that eight teachers were deployed to the school but couldn’t endure attending the fiction-like school, with no single classroom constructed.
For years, Malam Abubakar served as the lone guiding light for the children of the community. Despite the lack of proper infrastructure and resources, he tirelessly worked to ensure that his pupils received the education they deserved.
But Abubakar’s sudden demise sent shockwaves through Kutaru and communities beyond, leaving his pupils and the entire Kutaru community reeling with grief.
With no one taking his place, the school lay silent and abandoned, its hot-container classroom – divided into two – now empty. The pupils, who seldom attend classes deserted and roaming with uncertain future.
When the WikkiTimes reporter visited the school on Thursday, March 7, 2024, nothing was working in the school and the two zinked classes were scanty. Lizards and other reptiles were enjoying the sun’s rays penetrating through the holes all over.
Negligence of Nomadic Schools in Bauchi Dwindles Pupils’ Hopes, Turns Them Farmers
However, as days passed away, the legacy of Malam Abubakar lived on; his spirit of compassion and commitment inspired hope in the hearts of those who had known him, pledging to carry on his work and fulfil the dreams he had nurtured.
A volunteer from the village, Adamu Abubakar, said he is determined to breathe new life into the abandoned school and continue Malam Abubakar’s mission of providing education to underprivileged children.
He told WikkiTimes that poor structures coupled with the dearth of teachers crippled the academic activities in the school, especially after the death of their former only class teacher, Malam Abubakar.
“There is a teacher from Bauchi who promised to be coming twice a week, but he has not come today,” a volunteer Adamu said.
The village Head of Kwanan Dutse, Mallam Abubakar MaiUnguwa told WikkiTimes that at a community level, they constructed a mud classroom but could not survive downpours, “When the rain came some years back, it got destroyed, and from then no class for the pupils.”
The locals pleaded with the state government to intervene and bring succour to salvage the deteriorated education activities in their community.
Musa Ibrahim Ardo, the Secretary of the Bauchi State Agency for Nomadic Education (BASANE) told WikkiTimes that they would try to find out and promptly provide a solution for the school.
Ardo had earlier explained that there are over 500 nomadic schools in the state with 1,273 teachers and 111,488 pupils under the nomadic scheme.
Mohammed Abdullahi, the Public Relations Officer for the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) said the agency would find out and assess the situation in the school and find out ways to provide classes to the school with teachers.
“But it is good for the community to write an application to the agency for prompt intervention of the state government,” he said.
However, WikkiTimes recalls that Late Malam Abubakar had decried that he submitted several applications requesting the intervention of the state government, but yielded no impact, as the school continued to suffer the misery of lack of classes and teachers.
