Hauwa Memorial College (HMC), Funtua, Katsina State, still stands. Founded by the late pan-African, Dr. Tajudeen Abdulraheem (1961-2009), the symbol of one man’s passion to make quality education accessible at little or no cost to the African child, inches closer to its second anniversary even as it languishes in abject disrepair.

Wednesday, May 25, as the school marks its second anniversary, it seeks to draw attention to its pathetic state.

Although the school prides itself on its academic excellence, it has not changed the fact that it is under the threat of closure due to the absence of the bequest that is provided annually to support the dream by Abdulraheem.

It has, in fact, negatively affected the school’s purse. Since the founder’s death, the school has been operating with money generated from its tuition fee, which is N4, 000 per term. This, the principal said, is not enough to run the school. "I am the highest paid staff in the school and my salary is N14, 000 even with a Master’s degree in History. We had to cut down staff salaries to be able to stay afloat. It has not been easy as we have lost a lot of staff due to the pay cut. Those who are around are doing it for charity.

"I am able to bear it because I believe in Dr. Tajudeen’s dream. He taught us to sacrifice. We still follow his legacies like scholarship awards and waivers to the letter… The school fee is N4, 000; while excursion fee is N100. We used to have a school bus when he was alive but that has since packed up. We hope things will improve. We are not unaware of the fact that we need to improve on the staff welfare, but what can we do than to manage the little that is coming in? He is dead; and we do not have another sponsor."

HMC is currently operating from a rented property, although the school has a permanent site located in the town. The site was acquired in 2003, said the principal. "Tajudeen planned on building an ultramodern boarding school on the 15 plots. The fence was actually started three days before his death," he said. The land currently lays bare without fencing or any structure on it, thus making it vulnerable to encroachment.

Aside the challenge of salaries, the school still manages to pay rent of N100,000 yearly. Notwithstanding, the property remains in a sorry state. The open spaces that were intended to serve as windows are covered, albeit inadequately, with rusty iron rods, planks, old zincs, cartons, decrepit doors and so on. There are holes in the ceilings as well as other parts of the structure screaming for repairs.

In an area like Funtua that experiences extreme weather conditions like sandstorms and heavy rain storms, the circumstances are usually stringent in the thick of the storm. "You are lucky you came by this time when the sandstorms, as a result of the whirlwind, have subsided. The windows are usually blown away and the glass doors are broken. The whirlwind usually carries a lot of sand into the classes and the whole place gets filled with sand. We are forced to spend quality time packing the sand out of the classes. We are used to it."

Even though, other regions like Abuja and Zaria have gone past the Harmattan season, it was still blowing harshly in Funtua so harsh that the wind greatly upsets the nostrils, with biting cold and sand.

However, the sunny days are even worse. On such days, not even the cartons and planks are able to save them from the heat, disclosed Abubakar. "The heat is much as the sun is very hot and penetrates the windows freely and there are no ceilings, especially in the JSS3 class, because the class directly faces the sun. We try our best but it has not been easy."

It is the same when it rains. The HMC principal said that they often pray that the wind does not blow the rain towards where the windows and doors are located. If that happens, oftentimes, the children get wet inside their classrooms because some of the roofs are leaking.

To cushion the effect, Abubakar said they usually move the students to the side of the class that is not leaking. "So we are forced to mix the girls and the boys together. This usually takes up to as long as such the weather would last, and sometimes it could last three months. If we are lucky, the wind may not be blowing the rain towards where the windows are located. We use planks and also buy cartons to block the windows, but the wind always blows them away thus we often have to keep changing and replacing them. The weather here is always extreme," he noted.

Their greatest dread, the students revealed, is the raining season. "Rain comes into our class when it rains because our roof is leaking. I fear it because it makes us cold. I wish they would help us change the windows and the zinc," said Baba Shittu, a JSS Two student on scholarship in the school.

According to Babangida Dabai, SSS Two, "My school is very good and the teachers are trying; but since the death of Dr. Tajudeen, many things in our classroom have spoilt, especially the windows and doors. Rain and sand blows in."

However, the whole scenario presents a comic relief for the Head Boy, Kenneth Peter. According to him, "The experiences make me burst into laughter whenever our class turns into a war zone where people are running helter-skelter because of lizards or rain. It is terrible when it rains because of the broken windows and doors. But that has not affected our studies. Our teachers are determined to give us the best and we intend to make distinction in our papers."

Typical of modern schools, HMC also has a computer laboratory. However, the place has just about 10 computers placed on makeshift tables and the students sit on benches without backrests. It also has a multipurpose science laboratory used for all science subjects which is also in deplorable state.

According to the science teacher, Abdul-rasaq Temitope, "We always have to wait until WAEC brings out lists of specimen so that we would know what to buy. We usually buy only the ones we need for the examination."

For the school’s management, maintenance of the property has become another major challenge. The school faces a dilemma on how to handle the issue. Further findings revealed that the place once had windows that are constantly broken because of the harshness of the weather. So, the management often has to replace them until it could no longer afford to finance such luxury, particularly after the demise of its founder.

"However, the property owner is not helping matters as he has refused to make repairs. The school currently pays N100, 000 yearly to the landlord. When we complain about the decrepit state of the structures, the landlord tells us that if we don’t like it, we should find another place," the principal said.

Mushbahu Abdulraheem, the school’s Bursar, also decried the state of the school, saying: "We make repairs every term. The owner has refused to do any repairs. Before his death, my brother wanted to buy it but he refused to sell. There was a day the wind and rain blew off the roof in JSS3. I brought a carpenter to repair it because if the landlord knew that the roof was blown off, he would threaten to lease the place out to another tenant and send us away. You see, he made it clear that it is either we repair it or find another place."

A WELCOME INITIATIVE

About three months ago, the Tajudeen Abdulraheem Education Trust Fund (ETF) was launched in Abuja. Geared to support Abdulraheem’s dream, the event was spearheaded by the renowned poet, Odia Ofeimum, among other friends of the deceased. The fund, they said, is meant to renovate and restructure HMC. According to them, they are seeking an ETF grant to raise about N500 million meant to build a befitting structure for HMC at its permanent site. And even though, they are yet to achieve their objective, Ofeimun said he is optimistic. "It is achievable," he said.

Abubakar praised the efforts of Abdulraheem’s friends, saying: "I hope it succeeds because it would help relieve us of our suffering. And so doing, the dream will not die."
As a former Deputy Coordinator of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa, Abdulraheem established the school to offer subsidised quality education to children of the poor in the area. Hence, 24 HMC’s students are on waivers and scholarships, a legacy that is still being maintained two years after his death. Established as a high-profile school, the school also parades children from relatively privileged backgrounds from across the country. Hence, it is often referred to as a ‘Nigerian School’.

Owing to the high standards set by its founder, the school, it was gathered, is one of the best in the state as it usually occupies the top three categories in competitions. Its recent outing was at the Nigerian Breweries National Reading Competition where it was selected to represent the North-West Zone in the national category.

The students are usually treated to excursions and symposiums that are witnessed by professionals and eminent personalities in the area. According to HMC Principal, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, its symposia have hosted the likes of Dr. Mahmoud Lawal, one-time Public Relations Officer of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Bayero University, Kano (BUK); Dr. Tukur Idris, a member of the National Assembly representing Bakori/Danja; Prof. Wilmot Patrick and Dr. Horace Campbell, visited and awarded scholarship to some students.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Come Wednesday, May 25, friends of the late pan African would be marking the second anniversary of his death in grand style at the Cyprian Ekwensi Cultural Centre, Abuja. The event would feature a symposium in the morning and Ofeimum’s drama, A feast of Returns in the evening. The organisers said they hope it would inspire more contributions towards the funds.
In spite of the sorry state of the school, its academic performance is commendable. According to the principal, 70 per cent of its students make five credit passes and above yearly.

If renovated, the bursar and younger brother to the deceased said the school would be conducive for learning. "The location is a good environment for learning since it is situated away from the noise in the town. And it has a lot of space for the students to play in. It is not easy getting a good place in town now. In any case, we may not be able to afford it. What can we do, then? We all are working towards keeping my brother’s dream of giving the children quality education at all cost alive.

"In spite of the meager salaries, the staff are putting in their best to see that the children get the best of education. We know, one day things would change, especially when the permanent site is developed. Like the principal said we need sponsors to keep the dream alive. And we are hopeful."

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* This article first appeared in The Nation.
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