Shettima’s alma mater in ruins as students, staff lament decay

One of the dilapidated classrooms

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The students and staff of the Government Science Technical College in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe state, the alma mater of Vice President Kashim Shettima, have raised fresh concerns over what they described as dangerous, depressing, and deteriorating conditions of the school.

Many of the students and academic staff members who spoke with Arewa PUNCH insisted that their safety, health, and education are at serious risk due to the worsening state of facilities at the school.

They disclosed that the college, once regarded as the pride of technical education in the old Northeastern region, now battles with broken structures, decaying workshops, leaking roofs, and hostels that students say are barely habitable.

During an on-site visit to the school by Arewa PUNCH, it was observed that the classroom blocks had gaping cracks, just as shattered windows and leaking roofs patched with nylon sheets, with overcrowded hostels, and abandoned equipment scattered across the once-active technical workshops.

One of the students told our correspondent: “We feel like our future is being quietly destroyed.”

Many of the students who spoke to our correspondent under anonymity for fear of being persecuted by the school authorities insisted that the dilapidation affects both their education and their well-being.

Gambo Haruna, an SS2 student, stressed that they no longer feel safe in their own classrooms.

“Sometimes when we sit in the classroom, we hear the roof making strange sounds, especially during windy days,” he said.

“We get scared because it feels like one day the whole roof will collapse on us. When it rains, you can not even talk about learning because water enters from different angles. The chairs become soaked, and we all have to gather in a corner like rain-soaked puppies. We have reached a point where we pray every morning before entering class because we do not know what will happen next,” he lamented.

Another technical study student emphasised that their workshops no longer serve their purpose.

“We came here because we wanted to learn technical skills that can help us build a future, such as engineering, metalwork, carpentry, and electronics,” he noted. “But when you enter the workshops now, you will feel sad. Machines are rusted, many do not even switch on, and the ones that work are too old. Most days, we only learn theory. We draw diagrams of machines we have never touched before. How can we become technicians like this? It is very painful because our dreams feel like they are quietly being destroyed,” cried out loud.

A third student also expressed disappointment that the school associated with the sitting Vice President Shettima has been left in such a terrible state.

“We always hear people say this is the same school that produced the current Vice President of Nigeria, Shettima, whom we learnt was also a two-time governor of Borno State,” he noted.

“But when we look around, nothing here reflects that pride. Instead, we see broken windows, cracked walls, and facilities that look abandoned. It makes us feel like nobody cares about us. Even when we try to stay motivated, the environment kills our morale. We want the government to know that we are not asking for luxury. We are asking for a place where we can study without fear or shame,” he posited.

Two male boarding students separately expressed grave concerns about the poor state of hygiene and safety in their hostels.

One of them, who simply preferred to be addressed as Bala, stressed that the state of the toilets is “beyond disturbing.”

According to him, “Sometimes, we prefer not to eat or drink water because we do not want to use the toilets,” he explained.

“The smell alone can make someone fall sick. Some toilets do not even have doors or proper flushing systems. The water supply is not consistent, and students often fetch water from far places just to wash themselves. It affects our health, our confidence, and even our studies.”

Another added that the hostels offer little security or comfort.

“At night, the hostels are extremely dark because the lights do not work,” he pointed out. “Many of the windows are broken, and sometimes stray animals enter the hostel area. With the insecurity in the region, we fear being exposed. We do not feel safe, and many of us barely sleep peacefully at night. When we wake up in the morning to go to class, we are tired, stressed out, and unmotivated.”

Parents, Community Leaders, and Alumni Express Concern

Following these myriads of complaints, not a few parents and residents of Potiskum say the situation is unacceptable, especially for a school with such a prominent history.

A parent, Mallam Musa, who said he accompanied his son to the school during Arewa PUNCH’s visit cried that the government has failed to protect the children’s educational rights.

“The suffering of these students is too much,” he said.

“We can not continue to watch their dreams drown with every rainfall gushing into their classrooms. The government must act now because this school is not just any school. It has produced people who have reached the highest levels of leadership in this country. Why can it not be rebuilt to reflect that?”

A respected community elder, Mallam Garba Aminu, who also lamented the declining state of what was once a regional landmark, recalled: “In those days, GSTC Potiskum was a symbol of excellence.

“People came from far places to study here because the facilities were top-notch. Today, when I walk around, my heart breaks. It feels like we have failed our children. If this institution collapses completely, the community loses its pride, and the region loses a future generation of skilled professionals,” Garba informed Arewa PUNCH.

Some alumni have also called for urgent rehabilitation, noting that the school’s deterioration contradicts the federal government’s public commitment to improving technical education.

School Administration Acknowledges Severe Challenges

A senior administrative member, who also requested anonymity because he said he was not authorised to speak to the media admitted that the institution is overwhelmed and lacks the resources to address the large scale of the damage.

“We can not deny what the students and parents are saying,” he explained. “The state of the infrastructure is extremely poor. Our internal budget can not handle the magnitude of renovation needed. We have repeatedly submitted requests to the relevant authorities, but major intervention is yet to come.

“We sincerely hope help arrives before the situation becomes beyond repair.”

All efforts to obtain a response from the Yobe State Science Technical Board, which oversees technical schools in the state were unsuccessful, as the Executive Secretary of the board, Mallam Dauda Atiyaye, did not answer voice calls initiated to his phone nor react to text messages shared with him at the time of compiling this report.

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