Mangu (Plateau) – Worried by the rising number of orphans from insurgencies, a philantropist, Mr Samuel Pukat, on Sunday said he had established a special secondary school in Mangu, Plateau, to cater for such children.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
The school, Pukat Memorial Secondary School, located at Dangbungha, Mangu Local Government area, has more than 300 students sourced from Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in parts of the north.
Mr Polycarp Chetchi, the Principal of the school, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Mangu.
“Some orphans are not in IDPs camps. We liaise with religious and community leaders as well as traditional rulers in crises-ridden areas to reach the orphans.
“We normally insist on getting them through these leaders to be sure that those admitted are orphans.’’
The proprietor of the school, Pukat, also told NAN that the school was working on its boarding facilities, adding that the school was accommodating the students in private homes in the neighbourhood.
“We keep them here as boarding students to disengage them from the memories of their late parents.
“I have a special place for orphans in my heart; if children with parents still suffer, what orphans go through can only be imagine,” he said.
The proprietor said he was motivated to educate the orphans because he was convinced that they would, in turn, cater for their brothers and sisters thereafter.
“I have also found that orphans are often the victims of rape, trafficking, abuse and forced labour, while some are left to wander in streets.
“These are just unfortunate children, whose destiny no one knows. So, I want to give them some hope in life and open windows of opportunities for them.’’
Pukat said education was a security for the orphans, saying that the school would soon provide facilities for skills acquisition to further prepare them to fend for themselves in the future.
He said he had introduced a special course, character development, which he handled to instil hope in them.
“From time to time, we invite people like university guidance and counsellors to talk to the children.
“We also bring people that had gone through similar travails in life to relay their experiences to the children and challenge them to learn from such experiences. ”
Pukat , however, said that the school needed more chairs and desks, toilets facilities, fence and other infrastructure.
“The students do not have enough toilets; they sometimes have to rush to nearby bushes if pressed. This is not good or safe for them.”
He called for assistance from corporate bodies, public-spirited individuals and NGOs for more facilities to improve the living and learning conditions of the orphans.
The Chairman of the host community, Vwompur Magaji, while fielding question on the initiative, said the establishment of the school was a challenge to wealthy Nigerians.
“This school is a noble gesture worth emulating by everyone. It is a dream that must be supported to help the teeming orphans in the country.
“We have already demonstrated such support by accommodating the students in our houses. Some houses host up to 10 students,” he said. (NAN)
