Blind students of Ebonyi Special Science School, Opefia in Izzi Local Government Area of the state, have lamented total neglect by the Ebonyi State government, pointing insecurity, poor learning environment, lack of electricity, and absence of health clinic in the school as challenges facing them.
The students disclosed this during the sixth send-off party organised for graduating students of the institution.
In an interview with one of the blind students, who gave his name as Okwuegbu Cherechi Joel, from Agbaja in Izzi Local Government Area, expressed excitement over his successful graduation, but noted that the students lacked basic teaching facilities even money to further their educational pursuit.
Okwuegbu said he would like to study political science in the university if the opportunity comes for him to further his education, and expressed joy over his successful graduation, “I am very excited for graduating successfully. Our teachers are very industrious and they teach us very well, which is why we graduated today.
“One of the major challenges we face is that the school is not fenced. We are always afraid of attack by external forces whenever we are in classrooms learning. We do not also feel comfortable during break time. We are calling on government to fence the school for us so that we can always feel relax whenever we are in the school.
“We need well equipped library. Our library is not well equipped and our school is a special school, which supposed to have well equipped library. We don’t also have electricity; we only have power generating sets, which doesn’t power our computers and other equipments. We need serious assistance in this electricity issues because computers are very important to us, we use computers for learning.
“There is what is called ‘talks’ in the computers and when it is being downloaded in the computer, we can operate the keys through the talk. When we are operating the computers with the keys, we will be listening to the ‘talks’ and the ‘talks’ will be telling us the place that we are moving to; if we are making mistakes or doing the right thing,” he said.
“I want to further my education and I want to study political science education. I love politics and I want to go into it so that I can lead people. I like leadership and I want to go into it.
“I want to go into it so that whenever I am elected into any position, I will make sure I do well. I will threat everybody equally and deliver good governance to the people if I find myself in any position of authority,” he promised.
Earlier in an interview, the school principal who is a Rev. Sister of Roman Catholic Church, Rose Oguegbe appealed to Ebonyi State government to offer total free education to blind students of the school.
She observed with dismay that enrolment into the school was declining via -a-vis when she became the principal of the school in 2002, a situation she attributed to the inability of some parents to pay school fees and feeding fees of their children and wards who are visually impaired.
“The school has been doing well through the help of state government and good spirited individuals. The school belongs specially to UBEB who provides for us.
“Working here is not an easy thing because the parent will say we have not finished training those who can see talk more of these ones who are blind. So we are just helping them. Many have dropped because they could not pay,” she said.
She lamented that state government could not engage those who have graduated from the school and went through the university.
“The problem here is some of them who have graduated when they get to the state government to seek for job, they will ask them what can you do if we give you office. Some of them who have graduated have nothing doing so they came back to us and we engaged them. At the end of the month, we pay them N3000 and after a term, we give them N10,000 as stipend.
“Many of them here don’t pay so we source for money to feed them and take care of the teachers. So if the government can help by making the school full boarding system, that is, to feed them, pay their school fees and carter for all their needs, it will be good.
“Government should help. Many of them are in their homes because they cannot afford the school fees. So, we are begging the government to make the school free so that those at home can come out,” she said.
