About 300 students of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Janbulo in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State were trapped in their classrooms on Thursday after the staircase leading to a one-storey classroom block collapsed during school hours.
The incident occurred at about 1:00 p.m. while students were attending lessons in two upstairs classrooms, according to the school principal, Hajiya Jamila Mustafa Mai Nasara.
She said panic erupted after the collapse, prompting teachers and school authorities to rush to the scene.
“We heard shouting from the one-storey building where about 300 students were taking lessons in two upstairs classrooms. We rushed to the area and discovered that the staircase had collapsed,” she said.
The principal explained that members of staff quickly mobilised and brought a ladder, which was used to safely evacuate all the trapped students from the building.
She confirmed that no lives were lost and no student sustained any injury during the incident.
Describing the situation as unfortunate, Hajiya Jamila said the damaged classrooms were critical to the school’s academic activities, particularly for science students.
“It is very sad. We solely depend on these upstairs classrooms because they accommodate almost 30 per cent of our science students,” she said.
She revealed that the school had already been grappling with a severe shortage of classrooms, forcing it to accommodate more than 120 students in spaces designed for far fewer learners.
The principal appealed to the Kano State Government to urgently reconstruct the collapsed staircase before schools resume for the next academic session in September.
“Otherwise, we may have no option but to ask some students to remain at home because we do not have enough classrooms to accommodate them,” she warned.
Hajiya Jamila disclosed that the school currently has only eight classrooms and one laboratory. With the affected block now inaccessible, only four classrooms are available for teaching, resulting in some classes accommodating more than 130 students.
She further noted that the damaged block was constructed about 16 years ago and had suffered years of deterioration. According to her, the roof of the upstairs classrooms leaked for about four years before it was recently repaired, adding that the entire structure requires comprehensive renovation to ensure the safety of students and staff.
