By Shehu Muhammed
It was a late Thursday morning on June 3, 2025, under the scorching sun at Government Day Secondary School, Moreh. Some students were playing football, others had gone home for breakfast, while a few girls remained in their classrooms.
As you enter the school, established in 2005, and glance at its impressive buildings, you are met with a troubling sight: empty classrooms devoid of chairs.
Basiru Lawali (not his real name), an SS2 student and one of the football players, vividly recalls spending nearly five years receiving lessons while seated on the bare floor. For Basiru and over 450 other students at the school, the simple act of sitting on a chair in class has become a dream.
Girls students seated on bare floor
While recounting his painful experience, Basiru said the last time he had the comfort of learning with proper chairs was back in primary school. Despite being enrolled since 2022, Basiru noted that apart from two JSS classrooms, the rest are completely empty, no chairs whatsoever.
As a result, students like Basiru now bring mats or carpets to sit on during lessons. “I feel very bad. I have to come with a mat to sit on. This is not how I’m supposed to be receiving lessons,” he lamented, adding “I feel very distracted in class. I can’t write properly, and my waist aches because I sit on the bare floor.” He noted that while there were enough chairs in primary school, things worsened at the secondary level.
The condition has forced many students to own multiple uniforms, as they have to wash their clothes daily due to the dusty floor.
Some students have even stopped attending school because of the lack of chairs. “Even yesterday, one of them who stopped coming asked me if chairs had been brought. I told him no,” Basiru shared.
Similarly, some female students from JSS1B and JSS2B told ASHENEWS that they have been without chairs since enrolling. They recalled a time when they were counted and promised chairs would be provided, but to date, nothing has changed.
“When we go home, our parents ask why our uniforms are so dirty. We tell them it’s because we don’t have chairs in our classes. Sometimes, they even urge us to bring mats to spread on the classroom floor,” they said.
Boys classroom with empty chairs
Both students and teachers at Government Day Secondary School, Moreh, in Kware Local Government Area of Sokoto State, have decried the lack of classroom furniture.
According to them, the problem has persisted for many years, forcing hundreds of students to sit on the bare floor to receive lessons.
This situation has raised serious concerns, especially since the school is located just a few kilometers from the Sokoto metropolis, yet it remains unequipped with basic classroom furniture.
One of the teachers, who requested anonymity, said the lack of chairs has several negative implications and makes the learning environment unconducive.
Amid the current economic challenges, students are forced to wash their uniforms daily. “They have to wash their uniforms every single day before coming to school because of the dust on the ground—and their uniforms are white,” he said with concern.
He added that the absence of desks has contributed to a decline in students’ interest in schooling. “Imagine coming to school with no desk, no anything. The whole situation affects their motivation and learning,” he said.
He further explained, “Sometimes when you enter the class, the students are not paying attention; they’re distracted. Some are even ashamed of sitting on the bare floor. You’ll see them standing, especially in the SS classes.”
Signpost of GDSS Moreh
He told ASHENEWS that there are a total of 12 classes in the school—’A’ for boys and ‘B’ for girls—but apart from two classrooms being used for WAEC exams, all others lack chairs, and students are forced to sit on the floor.
When asked if the school management had reported the issue to the appropriate authorities, he said, “The only thing we keep hearing from the management is that they’ve written to the Ministry of Education, but there has been no positive response.”
“We are on our feet to solve the problem,” Says Principal
When contacted, the Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Moreh, Umar Faruk, admitted that the school is facing serious challenges. However, he said he is doing his best to address the situation, which he inherited.
The principal explained that the school has so far received 60 chairs, with another 40 delivered in batches before the last school break. These chairs are currently being used by students writing their WAEC examinations.
“I inherited this problem, but we are on our knees to solve it. We have received some chairs from the government, and they said more will be provided. However, we don’t know when—because, you know, it’s due process,” the principal said.
Girls classroom with empty chairs
Meanwhile, Kasimu Shehu Bankanu, Deputy Education Secretary of Kware Local Government Area, said he was not aware of the problem but promised to contact the Secretary and get back to the reporter.
He acknowledged that the state government is making efforts to support schools but admitted that some challenges persist, including the absence or negligence of school watchmen. This, he said, has led to theft and destruction of chairs in some schools.
However, after a full day, the reporter did not receive any further response from him.
It may be recalled that during the 2025 Sokoto State Citizens Budget presentation, the State Governor, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to development by allocating 25% of the 2025 budget to the education sector.
Despite this significant allocation, many schools—both primary and secondary—continue to face severe infrastructural deficits across the state.