Some residents of Agu-Awka, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra, have decried the absence of public primary and secondary schools in the area.
They said that the situation has denied them access to the state government’s free education policy.
The residents appealed to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to establish public schools in the densely populated area in the heart of the capital town.
On April 28, parents and guardians of a Catholic Church-owned nursery and primary school protested a 43 per cent increase in fees arbitrarily imposed by the management just before the beginning of the third term.
The protesters said that the management was exploiting them because there were no government substitutes.
Agu-Awka, which hosts the old Government House, estates, Commissioners’ Quarters, Nwakpadolu Estate and the stretch from Immigration Junction to Book Foundation along Esther Obiakor Road, had no government-owned schools.
According to them, the affected area also extends to parts of Ifite Road from Aroma Junction to the back gate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
Mr Chinedu Okeke, a resident, stated that despite the state government’s free education programme for primary and secondary school students, families in Agu-Awka were compelled to patronise private and mission schools because of the absence of public schools.
Okeke noted that only a few institutions, including Igwebueze Primary School, located within a Catholic Church’s premises; and Nwafor Orizu Primary and Secondary Schools, were used mainly for training student teachers and existed in the area.
The resident added that the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Demonstration Primary and Secondary Schools were privately run by the institution.
He said that students seeking access to public schools had to travel long distances to neighbouring communities such as Okpuno, Amansea and Nawfia, spending an average of N1,500 daily on transportation.
Okeke, who said that he lived in the area for over 10 years, said his children attended private schools because he had no alternative.
“It is sad that the entire Agu-Awka area, which is a political ward and has been the seat of government since 1991, does not have a public school.
“We do not know what free education means because we only read about it in newspapers and social media. We pay school fees out of compulsion because there are no public schools here,” he said.
According to Mr Emeka Nwosu, the population and land mass of the area justified the establishment of at least six public primary schools and three secondary schools.
He alleged that available open spaces that could have been used for schools were being taken over by private developers.
“The point is that there are no public primary or secondary schools on the Onitsha-bound lane of the expressway between Aroma Junction and UNIZIK.
“Private schools should be alternatives, not replacements for government schools.
“It is disturbing that private developers have taken over places that should have been used for schools, including the open space at Ukwu Orji behind the old Government House,” he said.
Nwosu described the situation as unacceptable, noting that the area had more than 20 private secondary schools and over 30 private primary schools without a single government-owned school.
An educationist, Mrs Ngozi Ezeani said that although there were no rigid rules guiding the siting of schools, factors such as population, travel time, transportation cost and accessibility should be considered.
She urged the government to address the educational needs of rapidly growing urban settlements to ensure equitable access to public education.
