School pupils of the Benevolent Islamic Primary school in Northern Sierra Leone were left with no option but to use an old and a dilapidated school building after all efforts to access their new building had failed.

The pupils attending the Benevolent Islamic Primary School Kumrabai Station in Khalifa Mabang Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, are currently exposed to danger after they are seen in a dilapidated building that is posing a threat to their lives.

 

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The building is not only dilapidated and old, but it’s also a death trap that poses danger anytime soon if the authorities do not treat the matter with urgency.

Inside the classrooms, there are no chairs and desks and the whole school compound is covered with grass.

Abdul Bali Kamara, the Head Teacher of the school said the pupils cannot access their new building due to an impasse between the Mission and some elders in the community. He added that the rift has disadvantaged pupils from accessing their new building.

Kamara said they are using the old building after advice from the Inspector of the School. Sierraloaded understands that the old building was the original school building but was abandoned due to its bad form.

Sources have informed Sierraloaded that the fracas emanated from two groups in a family -one calling for school’s name and management to be change and handed to the community, with one calling for the school to retains its old name and management.

Parents in the community have complained that the division caused by this split between the Kamara family of Kumrabai has affected learning and teaching at the school.

Even Kamara, the Head Teacher, confirmed to this medium that though they have been going to school, no learning and teaching has taken place since schools reopened.

The new building of the school was erected by NACSA for the community but pupil school cannot access the building because of the ongoing family dispute.

But the ministry said NACSA hasn’t handed over the school to the community because there are still furniture’s to be handed over.

But the question been asked by many is the seriousness of the education office in Tonkolili District to address the impasse in the interest of the pupils.

The Inspector of school has said the ministry is going to have a meeting with stakeholders to address the issue.

The suggestions of other people in the community is that, the ministry would have used it discretion for the pupils to use the new building for the time being while NACSA is preparing for the official handing over ceremony.

But instead, the new school is still closed leaving pupils with the option of using the old structure thereby endangering their lives.