By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa – Almost  200 children have been squeezed into classrooms as the Bayelsa State-owned St. Matthias Primary School struggles to cope with the surge in number of pupils mainly from indigent families.

Interestingly, a walk past the school located at Amarata in Yenagoa, the state capital, creates the impression that all is well.

The school is fenced. It has two blocks of classrooms, an office for the Headmaster and a playground for pupils. It could easily pass for a modern public institution given its recent renovation.

However, a look inside any of the classes during lessons, reveals over 250 pupils squeezed inside. And each class has four sets: A, B, C and D.

Behind the classroom blocks is a dilapidated block of six classrooms, a breeding ground for reptiles and public convenience for residents who do not have toilets in their homes.

Our correspondent who was at the school observed that in primary three alone, the pupils were over 210. The situation was not different in other classes.

It was gathered that on a sunny day, the intensity of the heat in the classrooms is always unbearable for the teachers and the hapless pupils.

A classroom teacher, who pleaded anonymity, tearfully narrated the pathetic learning condition faced by the pupils and teachers. The teacher  said that movement within the classroom becomes difficult as the class is jam-packed.