Public schools in the Federal Capital Territory will soon be getting the needed face lift, as the FCT Administration has set aside the sum of N30.9 billion for massive rehabilitation and renovation of schools across the territory.
The rehabilitation work, captured in 2 batches will begin with the rehabilitation of 18 selected schools under the ‘accelerated whole-school rehabilitation approach’ which is expected to gulp N13.1billion.
Mandate Secretary, Education Secretariat, of the FCTA, Danlami Hayyo, who disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday, said approval of the funds was a testament to the priority the minister placed on the education sector.
Giving further breakdown of the funds, the secretary said an additional N13.3billion was approved for the renovation and rehabilitation of 40 schools to be completed in 100 days, while four schools would also be renovated in the second batch of the whole-school rehabilitation approach at the cost of N4.5billion.
Hayyo explained that the whole school rehabilitation approach was designed to rehabilitate entire school infrastructure and facilities, including toilets, hostels, dining and provision of furniture and water.
According to him, “The minister has decided to change the system of renovation because if you renovate only 2 blocks of classroom or 3 blocks of classroom in 1 particular school, maybe in the next one year or two years you must go to that particular school and renovate another one. Which is not good.
“The whole school approach is the situation whereby all the facilities, all blocks, toilets, boarding hostel, dining, and everything in the school will be renovated. So on that, he also approved to spend N13.1 billion on the first batch of whole school approach.”
He identified the schools to be rehabilitated to include, LEA Primary School Bagusa, Primary and Junior Secondary School Waru, AMAC, Karshi Model School, LEA Primary School, Apo Resettlement.
Others schools are, Junior Secondary School, Lifecamp, School for the Deaf, Kuje, Junior Secondary School, Kwali, LEA Primary School, Utako, Abaji Modern Primary School, Junior Secondary School, Maitama, and some part of FCT College of Education Library, among others.
He further explained that the second batch of the “whole school approach” would involve complete rehabilitation of 4 schools which are Government Science Technical College, Kwali, Government Science Technical College, Maitama, and Government Secondary School, Wuse 2.
“These 4 schools, about N4.5billion is going to be spent in changing the structures of these schools where everything will be changed. This is the second batch of the whole school approach,” Hayyo stated.
The projects are expected to be completed before May 2024, and would be part of the project to be commissioned by President Bola Tinubu, to mark his one year in office.
