Rotary Club Moves To End Dearth Of Textbooks In Abuja School

The Rotary Club of Abuja Federal has supported 279 students of Junior Secondary School, Piwoyi, Abuja, with basic education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) materials as part of efforts to encourage academic excellence and support vulnerable students.

The intervention, held yesterday at the beginning of the new academic year, included educational materials, payment of school charges and personal hygiene products for beneficiaries.

Speaking on the project, Community Service Director of the Rotary Club of Abuja Federal, Philip Osung, said the club identified gaps in educational materials, school charges and personal hygiene through a needs assessment.

Osung said some students, particularly those in Junior Secondary School Two and Three, struggled to afford exercise books and other school materials because their parents could no longer consistently provide them.

He said beneficiaries were selected based on academic performance and vulnerability.

According to him, selected high-performing students would receive school bags, payment of school charges, exercise books and pens, while vulnerable students would also receive educational support.

He added that 120 students would receive personal hygiene materials, including roll-on, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap, while sanitary pads would be provided to female students who had reached menstruating age.

Osung said the project was being implemented in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of Abuja Federal, Rotaract Club of Abuja Federal Alpha and the Rotary Community Corps of Piwoyi.

He said the club carried out the intervention at the beginning of each academic year.

The principal of the Junior Secondary School, Piwoyi FCT Abuja, Mrs Nwagugu Pauline, said the intervention was significant because many pupils started the academic year without exercise books, textbooks, school bags and adequate uniforms.

Pauline, who is a deputy director in the Special Staff of the Basic Education Board, said the school had faced several challenges affecting the pupils’ learning and welfare.

She said based on the school’s experience, about 90 per cent of the students did not have adequate reading materials, while about 60 per cent lacked writing materials.

According to her, some parents provide only one school uniform when their children enrol in JSS1, leaving the pupils to use the same uniform until they complete junior secondary school.

She said some uniforms become faded, torn or too tight, forcing pupils to patch or modify them to continue using them.

Also, the president of the Rotaract Club of Abuja Federal, Samuel Attah, said the project was aimed at encouraging young people and educating them on the importance of basic education and WASH.

Attah said the intervention was designed to support the students’ mental and physical well-being as they grow.

He said the Rotary and Rotaract clubs contributed financially, as well as through their talents and time, to ensure the success of the project.

Attah urged the students to remain focused and improve themselves every day, saying consistent personal development could help them achieve their aspirations.

One of the beneficiaries, Rejoice Ujoma, said she received a school bag, exercise books and personal hygiene items, including a sanitary pad, toothbrush, roll-on, soap and toothpaste.

Another beneficiary, Opadiran Yetunde, a JSS2 student, said she received a school bag and books, adding that she was happy and proud to be among the beneficiaries. Yetunde said she wanted to improve herself and become better academically.