The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has renewed its commitment to providing second-chance education for girls and young women whose schooling was disrupted by poverty, early motherhood, displacement, and other difficult circumstances.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, stated this during the commissioning of the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls, Agboju, Lagos State, describing the facility as a pathway for girls who had dropped out of school to return to learning, acquire skills and rebuild their futures.
Garba said no child should be defined by the circumstances that interrupted their education, stressing that girls who dropped out of school should not be regarded as lost causes.
“A girl whose circumstances prevented her from completing her education should be given another opportunity. Every child deserved an alternative pathway to acquire the education needed to succeed in life,” she said.
She said the rehabilitation of the Agboju school, supported by UBEC through its UBE direct intervention, went beyond the provision of physical infrastructure, as it was designed to restore hope and create opportunities for girls and young women seeking to reconnect with education.
She explained that the Alternative High School was established to provide learners with opportunities to return to school, develop useful skills and pursue productive and fulfilling lives.
“Let this not simply be a place where girls attend classes. Let it be a place where hope is restored, confidence is built and the future is renewed,” Garba said.
She said children affected by conflict, displacement and other difficult circumstances still had dreams, talents and potential, and should therefore be given every opportunity to realise them.
Garba said the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), was implementing reforms aimed at expanding access, improving education quality and ensuring that no Nigerian child was left behind.
She explained that the UBEC intervention at the Agboju school included the rehabilitation of school infrastructure and academic facilities, provision of furniture for pupils, teachers and school managers, ICT equipment, laboratory and vocational equipment, WASH facilities, and environmental improvements.
“We believe that investment in education should be visible, not only in figures and reports, but in the classrooms where children learn, in the facilities they use and, most importantly, in the lives they are able to transform,” she said.
The UBEC boss said the rehabilitated facility had been formally handed over to the Lagos State Government, urging the state to sustain the investment, maintain the facilities and ensure that the school continued to fulfil its purpose.
Garba also announced that UBEC would provide a school bus and digital smart boards for classrooms at the Agboju school before the end of 2026.
She commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritising education and human capital development under the Renewed Hope Agenda, while also applauding the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her commitment to the education and empowerment of girls and young women.
She noted that the First Lady’s support, represented at the event by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, underscored the importance attached to ensuring that girls were not excluded from educational opportunities.
The UBEC boss urged the Agboju community to take ownership of the school by protecting its facilities and supporting the girls enrolled in the institution.
She said the ultimate objective was to ensure that girls who had been pushed out of the conventional education system could find a viable route back to learning, skills acquisition and productive participation in society.
(The Sun)