Once a symbol of hope for children with hearing impairments, the Imo State Secondary School for the Deaf has fallen into ruin, becoming a monument to years of neglect. In this report, UCHE OKERE exposes the decay, insecurity and abandonment confronting vulnerable students who continue to cling to education as their only lifeline to a better future despite overwhelming odds
Motorists speeding along the ever-busy Owerri-Orlu Road could easily miss the faded signpost announcing the Imo State Secondary School for the Deaf, Ofekata Orodo, in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
Like the institution it points to, the signpost has faded into the background, ignored, forgotten, and slowly wasting away.
Its weather-beaten frame, peeling paint and faded lettering stand as a silent monument to years of neglect, offering only the faintest clue to the heartrending stories and grim realities hidden beyond its gates.
However, the signpost tells only a fraction of the story.
