Students of Deaf and Dumb School, Ofekata Orodo, Cry Out for Water, Toilets, Electricity, Infrastructure
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
Ibesike Timothy Nwaeme
ORODO, MBAITOLI — Concern has been raised over the condition of facilities at the Deaf and Dumb School, Ofekata Orodo, in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, with calls for urgent government intervention to improve the learning environment for the students.
The appeal centres on the need to provide functional water facilities, rehabilitate toilets, fix the leaking roofs, bed spaces, restore adequate electricity and undertake broader renovation of the school infrastructure.
The situation has been described as a governance emergency, particularly because the institution caters to students with special educational needs who require an environment that is safe, accessible and conducive to learning.
Those advocating intervention have appealed to the Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, alongside political representatives from Imo East and Mbaitoli, to urgently assess the condition of the school and take appropriate action.
The stakeholders specifically called on Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi, representing Imo East Senatorial District; Hon. Akarachi Amadi, Member representing Mbaitoli Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives; Hon. Innocent Ikpamezie Ikechukwu, Member representing Mbaitoli State Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly; and Hon. Ifunanya Lactud Nwanegwo, Chairman of Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
The appeal is also directed at relevant government agencies responsible for education and the welfare of persons living with disabilities.
The Deaf and Dumb School at Ofekata Orodo was established in 1996, is an educational institution serving students with hearing and speech-related disabilities in Mbaitoli and surrounding communities.
Schools serving children with special needs require appropriate infrastructure and support systems to enable students to learn and live safely. Facilities such as accessible toilets, reliable water, electricity, classrooms and other basic amenities are therefore central to the effective operation of such institutions.
Concerns over the condition of the Ofekata school have renewed calls for government and other stakeholders to pay greater attention to the institution rather than allowing the students' needs to remain outside the mainstream of public discourse.
Advocates say the students should not be disadvantaged further by inadequate facilities simply because they attend a special-needs institution.
Calls for Immediate Intervention
The campaign for intervention has been summarised in four basic demands:
Fix their water.
Fix their toilets.
Fix their lights.
Fix the leaking roofs
Fix their bed spaces
Fix the school.
Those behind the appeal are asking the relevant authorities to visit the school, independently assess its infrastructure and determine the immediate and long-term requirements for rehabilitation.
They also want any intervention to go beyond temporary repairs and address the broader infrastructure needs of the institution.
The appeal comes amid continuing discussions about the quality of public education infrastructure in Imo State and the need to ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind in government development programmes.
For the students of the Ofekata Orodo institution, however, the immediate concerns are basic — access to water, sanitation, electricity and a decent learning environment.
Stakeholders are therefore urging the state government, elected representatives and Mbaitoli Local Government authorities to treat the matter with urgency.
They stressed that providing a safe and functional school environment for students with special needs is not merely an infrastructure project but an essential responsibility of government.
The message from the advocates is simple: the students of Ofekata Orodo must not be forgotten. Their education, dignity and future matter.
