For hundreds of children in a rural community in Plateau State, the dream of acquiring an education is shaped not by the quality of teaching but by the unpredictability of the weather. Every school day is a test of endurance as pupils and teachers struggle to learn and teach in the open, with little protection from rain, scorching sunshine or the biting harmattan. In this report, MARIE-THERESE NANLONG uncovers the resilience of a community determined to educate its children despite years of unfulfilled promises, inadequate funding and the absence of the most basic classroom facilities
For more than a decade, pupils of LEA Primary School, Zot, in Fursum District, Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State have attended classes without classrooms.
As parents, teachers, community leaders, and government officials continue to offer appeals and explanations, the children remain in a school where learning is left at the mercy of the weather.
The threat of rain, cold harmattan winds or scorching heat are often enough to bring lessons to an abrupt end. Unlike many schools where pupils simply move indoors when conditions change, children in this rural community have nowhere to run to. There are no classrooms, or roofs to protect them from the elements.
For the more than 200 pupils enrolled in the school, education means enduring harsh weather, sitting on the floor and writing on the sand. Despite repeated appeals for intervention, the situation has persisted for over 10 years.
Standing within the community when The Nigeria Standard visited is an unfinished building whose bare walls testify to residents’ determination to educate their children and the promises they said have yet to be fulfilled.
A school without classrooms
According to a community elder, Baba Ibrahim Azi, the school’s challenges began long before the current generation of pupils enrolled.
“This is not the original site of the school. Our people and the Foron people in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area jointly built the school at the border many years ago,” he explained.
The school served children from neighbouring communities until a prolonged boundary dispute altered its future.
“When the boundary issue with the people of Foron started, our children could not go to school at the outskirts. Whenever they go, they came back with reports that the classrooms and the chalkboards were filled with human faeces, so we had to move the school closer into the community.”
Faced with the prospect of losing access to basic education altogether, residents donated land and improvised a temporary learning space, using a dilapidated security post belonging to a commercial farmer in the community.
The community later organised a fundraising exercise and began constructing a permanent structure with local mud blocks. However, they have been unable to complete the project.
“We have raised a structure but we are unable to roof it. That is why we are calling for help.
“For over 10 years, this problem has lingered. The government deployed teachers here, the teachers and the children are all suffering, they are all outside. Anytime the rain falls or the sun is too hot, lessons will not hold,” Baba Azi said.
Despite years of disappointment, he said residents remain committed to completing the building, stating, “The structure is at the lintel level now. Once the woods are placed, I promise to give one bundle of roofing sheets.”
Another community leader, Yakubu Mijindadi, said the school’s history stretches back more than four decades.
Over time, the original structures deteriorated while neighbouring communities established schools closer to their settlements.
He explained, “The school had existed at the original site for over 40 years. People from Sabon Gari, Fobor, Foron and Fursum jointly built the school.
“The different communities later left to schools closer to them. We at Fursum are left. Because of the boundary problem with Foron, we had to relocate the school closer to the community.”
Standing at the current site, Mijindadi pointed to the absence of classrooms.
“As you can see, there are no structures here. The harsh weather conditions affect learning because teachers and children will not come in extreme weather conditions.”
He recalled that pupils once sat directly on the ground before residents raised funds to purchase a few chairs, which remains inadequate.
“The children were sitting on the floor but with community effort, we bought some chairs. Because there are no classrooms, there are no chalkboards for the teachers to write on.“
Even a temporary shelter built by residents did not survive.
He stated, “We made a shed for them but wind blew it off. We have tried as a community. We seek the assistance of the government and people of goodwill so we can complete the structure.”
Community’s determination amid years of neglect
While community leaders speak about history and infrastructure, Head Teacher Tabitha Ajik witnesses the consequences daily. Posted to the school in 2021, she said both pupils and teachers have paid a physical price for learning under the open sky.
She appealed for intervention, noting that the school has a significant population although enrolment fluctuates between 200 and 250 pupils because some families migrate periodically.
Her words, “The children are suffering from catarrh. The teachers too are not spared. We have over 200 pupils, 250 sometimes when the nomadic families return. Government officials even from the Board promised us a structure, but the structure has not come. They said the problem will be solved but it is taking too long.
“The children have endured these conditions for years. I was posted here in 2021. I can tell you that children are exposed to extreme weather and then fall sick frequently. The children have been suffering for years.”
However, the neglect extends beyond infrastructure. David Ayuba, from neighbouring Sabon Gari community, said teaching materials are sometimes sourced by ordinary citizens.
“The teachers try to use available spaces on the collapsing walls of the farm structure as chalkboards. Sometimes people buy chalks for the school because they are not provided by the relevant authority,” he said.
Citizen Emmanuel Ajik, believes urgent intervention is needed, especially as the rainy season intensifies.
According to him, “I wish to passionately call on the government and relevant authorities to urgently intervene in the condition of Zot LEA School. The rainy season is already here, and the situation of the school requires immediate attention to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for our children.”
He appealed directly to the Chairman of Jos East Local Government Area, Markus Nyam, the Education Secretary of Jos East and other stakeholders to act quickly saying, “We believe that with prompt action, the school can be restored to a better condition for effective teaching and learning.”
Another community member, Agyer Arin, questioned why conditions tolerated in the school would not be accepted elsewhere.
“Private schools have roofs over the heads of their pupils. This is a public school where children learn under the weather and write on the sand. If education officials lock up private schools, why don’t government schools show good examples and put these things in place for the children?”
The Parent-Teacher Association Chairman, Arwang Ajiji, stated that promises made over the years have not translated into action.
His words, “Successive governments have promised some money, and even the current Chairman of the local government, Markus Nyam, promised to give some money. He promised that he would help for the structure to be roofed but he didn’t bring anything up to now. We have written to him and submitted the letter through our Councillor.”
Teachers, parents, residents cry out for help
The Education Secretary of the Local Government Area, Musa Awota, acknowledged the situation and linked it to the long-running boundary dispute.
He confirmed that authorities had received requests for intervention noting, “There are more than three teachers there. Actually, I’m aware of the situation. The people of Jos East shifted the school from that disputed area to the community proper.
“They wrote to the office and we have communicated their issue to the Board Chairman for due consideration. There are no structures so no one goes to school when it rains.”
He mentioned the government is working to address the problem.
When contacted, Jos East Local Government Chairman, Markus Nyam declined to comment over the telephone, saying he preferred a face-to-face discussion. He promised to grant an interview but had not done so at the time this report was published.
But the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Sunday Amuna, said the challenge in Zot reflects a wider reality facing many communities.
Amuna said the Board must balance competing needs across the State and faulted communities who take their cases to the social media saying it is an attempt to paint the government in a bad light.
“This case is not isolated. Every community has challenges too. When you pick one, how many thousands do you think we are hearing from others? We work within the limited resources that we have.
“How many schools can we reach with the limited resources that we have? We do the needful as the resources are available. It is not only Fursum; we have many others too,” he stressed.
A staff member of the Board who did not want to be named disclosed that the Board is yet to receive any allocations this year. Budget documents reviewed also indicate poor releases, except for matching grants in the first quarter of 2026.
What happens to the budget?
In 2025, the approved budget for the Board was N4,610,651,000.00; it was later revised to N10,901,506,087.20 out of which, N8,038,006,203.61 was released.
Government response, search for lasting solutions
Meanwhile, Plateau State’s Child’s Rights Law, 2005, guarantees access to basic education for every child. Section 17(1) of the law states that, “Every child has the right to free, compulsory and Universal Basic Education and it shall be the duty of the State Government to provide such education.”
In Zot, parents have enrolled their children in the school, whenever the weather permits, children continue to report for lessons despite the lack of infrastructure. What remains is the facilities needed for the children.
The debates over boundaries, budgets and procedures mean little to the pupils of LEA Primary School, Zot. What they need is a roof over their heads while they learn but the question is will the authorities entrusted with that responsibility act before another generation passes through primary school without ever knowing what it feels like to learn inside a classroom?