The once prestigious St. Theresa Girls Secondary School Edem Ekpat in Etinan local government area of Akwa Ibom state is in ruins, the old girls of the school have lamented.
St Theresa, as it is popularly called, was a Catholic mission school handed over to the state government about 40 years ago, which is now in a decrepit state.
The president of the old girls, Mrs Christiana Egwunye, who reacted to the situation in a statement Tuesday in Uyo lamented that the number of boarding students has drastically reduced because of the deteriorating nature of facilities in the school.
She noted that the unprecedented abandonment and decay of the school did not only destroy the applauded boarding structure which was instrumental to molding character in the young girls but has also stifled academic excellence.
She appealed to Akwa Ibom state government to assist in the refurbishment of the deplorable infrastructure in the school.
Egwunye, who was in the 1980 set, recalled that it was prestigious to be a student of the school and that parents were proud and excited to enroll their children in the school due to its recognition as a centre for both sterling character formation and academic excellence.
Egwunye said: “We wish to appeal to our amiable and gender friendly governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, to assist St Theresa’s Girls Secondary School and give it a facelift so that our girls can have conducive learning environment.
“Our girl children deserve to have not just a safe haven to nurture their talents but also their social skills as espoused in institutions such as St Theresa’s Secondary School which is specifically designed for the character formation of the girl child.
“The current state of the school’s decay is not only heart wrenching but should also be an indictment on our collective consciences.”
