The Pankshin Old Boys Association (POBA) has donated 103 double-bunk metal beds to its alma mater, Government College Pankshin, Plateau State, as part of efforts to improve accommodation facilities for students.
The beds, which provide sleeping space for 206 students, were presented to the school during a ceremony held on the school premises in Pankshin.
Leading the POBA executive and members at the presentation, the National President of the association, Kenzy Ngupar, said the donation was funded entirely through contributions and sacrifices by members.
According to him, the initiative followed the association’s identification of inadequate bedding facilities as one of the major challenges facing the school.
Ngupar said the intervention was also intended to complement the ongoing transformation of the institution by the Plateau State Government and contribute to efforts to restore Government College Pankshin to its former status as one of the leading technical colleges in the country.
Commissioning the beds for onward presentation to the school, former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and Member Representing Pankshin North Constituency, Rt. Hon. Dewan Gabriel Kudangbena, commended the POBA leadership for addressing what he described as a critical need affecting students.
Dewan said providing students with a comfortable place to sleep would contribute to their wellbeing and learning, noting that adequate rest was important for academic performance.
He urged the school management to protect the beds from damage and vandalism, stressing that producing 103 metal bunk beds required significant resources.
The lawmaker also pledged to continue partnering with POBA and supporting initiatives aimed at addressing critical needs within Pankshin North Constituency.
Receiving the beds on behalf of the Plateau State Commissioner for Education, the Director of Schools in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Sabastine John, accompanied by the Zonal Director, Mr. Moses Dakup, and the Acting Area Director of Education for Pankshin LGA, Mr. Rottdung Peter Litim, commended POBA for its continued partnership with the school and the state government.
Sabastine said the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Gloria Samuel Karuri, would have personally attended the event but was unable to do so due to a pressing engagement and the short notice.
He assured POBA and the school of continued collaboration, adding that the government would explore further partnerships as it implements ongoing interventions at the institution.
The Principal of Government College Pankshin, speaking on behalf of the management, staff and students, expressed appreciation to POBA for its continued support.
She noted that the bed donation was the 25th project undertaken by the association in the school. Other interventions, she said, include the provision of two functional boreholes, solarisation of the school premises, an electric welding machine, lawn mowers and classroom chairs.
The Principal, however, identified a shortage of teachers, particularly in science and technical subjects, as a major challenge facing the institution. She appealed to the government to address the gaps through its planned recruitment of teachers.
She assured the donors that the school had put measures in place to protect the newly donated beds from vandalism.
Earlier, the POBA Project Committee Secretary and Secretary-General of the association, Kwaltamai Ibrahim, supervised the counting and handover of the 103 double-bunk metal beds.
He said the association ensured that the beds were produced to a high standard, adding that some were constructed outside the school while others were produced within the college’s metalwork facilities.
Ibrahim expressed hope that with the ongoing government intervention at the school, more metalwork, woodwork and other technical projects would be handled within the institution, giving students practical opportunities to develop their skills.
The ceremony also featured a cash support presentation by Rt. Hon. Dewan Gabriel Kudangbena to members of staff of the school.
