Learning Amid Decay: The Reality of Samaru Primary Schools

In the heart of Samaru Community in Zaria, Kaduna State, the mornings start with the buzz of roadside traders, motorcycles making their way into the narrow streets, and children in faded uniforms making their way to school. 

While some students walk in pairs, chatting quietly, others clutch plastic bags that double as schoolbags, holding it tightly as though they carried their future within them. Among these young faces, many are headed toward Saidu and Samaru Model Primary Schools.

Samaru Model School which ought to be a safe space for learning has no gates to mark a boundary,  and just beyond the entrance lies a heap of refuse, a reminder of the harsh realities that press against the promise for education.

Inside, the compound does not feel like a school alone. Goats wander freely, sometimes nibbling at scraps near the refuse heap. Stray passersby use the open yard as a shortcut, their footsteps mixing with the noise of children at play. The pupils enjoy their time and play in groups. The schoolyard is alive with energy, yet the scene is tinted with disorder, a blend of resilience and neglect.

Across the school, the buildings reveal different layers of decay. Some stand completely dilapidated, their roofs long gone and walls exposed to their elements. Others bear deep cracks that threaten collapse, while a few carry lighter fractures that speak of neglect. 

In certain classrooms, ceilings hang precariously, and pavements are worn down by years of use. Windows are missing in some blocks, leaving only frames, and in others, doors dangle weakly on rusted hinges. Each structure tells a story of abandonment, together forming a portrait of a learning environment slowly falling apart.

Maimuna Abdullahi, a teacher of five years in the school, sat in the cramped room that also serves as the assistant head teacher’s office. The door barely hung on its hinges. Through the half-open frame, she watched pupils scatter across the yard, playing in bursts of laughter. The office held little more than a plastic chair, a handful of worn books, and walls where the paint had long peeled.

For her, the poor infrastructures are more than an eyesore; they disrupt learning. “Because there are no toilets, pupils living nearby go home to ease themselves but they never come back to class,” she explained. “When children fall sick, we send them home because there is no facility to care for them.”

Challenges for teachers, learning

The problems go beyond hygiene. Shortage of classrooms have forced the school to merge three or four different classes into a single classroom. This overcrowding, she said, makes it almost impossible for teachers to give pupils the attention they need. The noise, distraction, and lack of space only worsen the learning environment, leaving both pupils and teachers frustrated.

What she described is not an isolated struggle. Across Samaru Community, many schools bear the same weight of broken walls and crowded classrooms. At Samaru Model Primary School, another school in the vicinity, the problem is mirrored. One teacher, Maryam Alhassan, echoes her words when she revealed that she teaches about 80 pupils in a single cramped classroom.

The reality is just as dire at Saidu Model School, where another teacher, Suleiman Abdullahi, painted an even grimmer picture. He explained that overcrowding has made classrooms almost unbearable. 

“Sometimes the class smells,” he admitted “and the heat and stench become so overwhelming that when supervisors come for lesson observation, they cover their noses,” he said. For him, the saddest part is not the embarrassment, but the fact that pupils have grown used to it, seeing it as a normal part of their learning environment.

These conditions fall far below the minimum standards prescribed in Nigeria’s education framework. The Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act of 2004 mandates that every child of primary and junior secondary school age must enjoy free and compulsory education delivered under minimum quality standards. Similarly, the National Policy on Education 2013 requires that basic education be provided in safe, functional, and conducive environments with adequate infrastructure and qualified teachers.

Of the nine classrooms in Samaru Model School, only two are considered safe, as they still retain intact walls, firm ceilings, and relatively stable floors. The seven others are cracked, with broken ceilings and damaged floors. 

“The building has been like this since I was a pupil here in 1976,” Jemila Muhammad, the Headmistress said. 

She explained that the swampy location worsens the damage during the rainy season, making the compound unsafe.

Teachers share the same concern. Eze Ruth, who has taught there for ten years, said the nursery section is in the worst condition. 

“There are cracks everywhere, and it is a risk to the little children,” she explained. She added that the structures are in dire need of renovation.

Maryam Alhassan, chipped in on the condition of the class she teaches. “In the dry season, dust from the broken floors disrupts lessons. In the rainy season, we try to keep the pupils from getting wet. It disturbs both the pupils and the lessons” she said.

The pupils themselves face this reality daily. A Primary 6 student, Khamis Bashir said, “Most times, we squeeze to sit in small chairs because we don’t have enough chairs.”

Security challenges

The absence of security has made matters worse. With the government no longer paying for security guards, the school has become more vulnerable to theft and destruction.

Mrs. Jemila added that even the toilets recently renovated by an NGO could not be spared and that they were vandalised within months, leaving only four working out of 56. This situation, she said, led to the hire of the security guard who does farming as an exchange for keeping the school safe.

The teachers fear that without proper security, any future renovation will suffer the same fate. “We try to keep the pupils safe, but the school itself is exposed,” said Mrs Jemila.

The crumbling state of the school has driven some parents to withdraw their children altogether, moving them to private or better-equipped public schools, especially for families who are educated and can afford it. 

Our reporter also learnt that the school has also lost several teachers to better schools, where they are promised not only proper classrooms but also the basic dignity of having chairs, desks, and secure facilities. This has further stretched the remaining staff, leaving fewer teachers to handle overcrowded classes and compounding the learning crisis.

Students’ experience

For the pupils themselves, the daily reality of learning is filled with discomfort and frustration. Najib Muhammad, a primary five pupil, in Saidu Model lamented how the environment makes it difficult for them to concentrate. 

“We feel uncomfortable in class because of the smell from the backyard and we have no windows to close,” he said, his face tightening in irritation. 

To Najib, the absence of even the most basic school facilities is a daily reminder of neglect. “We want good toilets, chairs, windows, and security so thieves will stop coming,” he added, listing what any child would consider the bare essentials for learning.

Another pupil, Sumaya Nasir, painted a picture of the physical toll the situation takes. With no chairs to sit on, she has turned her school bag into an improvised seat.

“Every day, I sit on my bag during lessons,” she explained. Beyond the discomfort, she also described the endless cycle of cleaning and disruption. “Every day, we clean the classroom because strangers come in and mess it up.” 

Together, Najib and Sumaya’s voices capture a shared yearning among Saidu Model pupils that one day they can learn in a clean, secure, and dignified environment like their peers in other schools.

“The school is in dire need of renovation,” reiterated Ahmad Waziri on another Facebook post. “Saidu Model Primary School is a landmark institution in Samaru, but its buildings have deteriorated drastically and valuable assets have been looted. The time to renovate and provide a safe learning environment for the children is now.”

Officials react

According to the Local Government Education Authority, the challenges facing schools in Samaru are hard to ignore.

Muhammad Yusuf, the Education Secretary of Sabon Gari LGA, acknowledged that years of neglect, compounded by natural disasters, have left many schools in a state of disrepair. He explained that the LGEA operates within a system of checks and balances, channeling reports from schools to the local government chairman, and then onward to the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Yusuf noted that officials from SUBEB have already visited Saidu Model School and that renovation plans are underway. Of the 63 public primary schools in Sabon Gari, he highlighted that 17 require urgent attention. 

For the children, however, patience translates to studying in broken classrooms, often without chairs, roofs, or adequate security. While the LGEA sees hope on the horizon, for the pupils of Saidu, Samaru Models and other affected schools, that horizon still seems painfully distant.