The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has renewed efforts to return girls who dropped out of school to the classroom, with a focus on teenage mothers and those affected by poverty.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, said this on Saturday while commissioning the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls in Agboju, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Garba said the school offers a “second-chance” to girls whose education was disrupted by early pregnancy, financial hardship and other socio-economic challenges.
“A girl who drops out of school should not be regarded as a lost cause. A young mother who wants to return to school should not be told that her time has passed,” she said in a statement signed by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education.
She said students can complete their secondary education while gaining vocational skills to prepare them for careers and self-reliance.
Speaking for the First Lady, Wife of Vice President Kassim Shettima, Nana Shettima said educating girls is vital to national development. She urged the students not to allow past experiences to define their future and to make full use of the school’s academic and vocational opportunities.
Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, called the project “a fresh chapter” for beneficiaries. She said the renovation had restored the school’s dignity and opened wider opportunities for young women.
The rehabilitated school has two blocks with over 26 classrooms, laboratories for Agriculture, Physics and Biology, vocational workshops, a library and ICT centre.
Garba said UBEC is also rehabilitating another Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu.
She added that the Commission would continue working with state governments and stakeholders to expand alternative education, improve learning spaces and strengthen skills training for girls and young women across Nigeria.
