– By Olubunmi Oladejo
Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s first lady, has laid the foundation of an Alternative High School for Girls in Osun State which is meant to give many dropouts, especially the girls and women, who dropped out of schools due to unplanned pregnancies and other economic factors, the second chance to be re-enrolled as students.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony in Osogbo on Tuesday, the wife of President Bola Tinubu noted that the event marked the beginning of an opportunity for a new chapter and chance of a promising future for the exceptional young girls and women to be re-enrolled back into the school system, having left for one reason or the other.
Tinubu explained that she envisioned and introduced the idea for the establishment of an Alternative High School for Girls in 2007 when his husband was the governor of Lagos State; a vision which she said, was accepted and utilised by the Lagos State Ministry of Education in 2007 and the school still runs till date.
Girls shouldn’t drop out over pregnancies, financial obstacles.
“My motivation as an educationist and lifelong teacher stemmed from the desire to see young girls and women who dropped out of school due to unplanned pregnancies, cultural barriers, economic or financial reasons and many more, have a second chance to complete high school, acquire higher education and valuable life skills, to enable them reach their full potential in life”, she said.
The first lady emphasised the alarming rate of school dropouts among girls as a stark reminder of the need for alternative solutions in their educational pursuits.
“The consequences of this challenge are profound, affecting not only their individual lives, but also has attendant socio-economic implications for our Nation. We cannot afford to squander the potential and talents of half of our population.
“Ensuring access to inclusive and equitable quality education that fosters lifelong learning opportunities for everyone is essential, in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 4 which is to “Ensure Inclusive and Equitable, Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All”, she added.
Tinubu stated that Osun State was chosen as the location for the school through a transparent and unbiased raffle draw process at a strategic meeting with the States’ first ladies.
Responsing, Governor Ademola Adeleke assured the first lady that his Administration would follow up and provide needed support to ensure a robust operation upon completion of the school.
“We assure you of our support for the Renewed Hope Agenda, especially our deep partnership to ensure the success of Federal policies for a better Nigeria. We appreciate current policies of the Federal Government and we are daily interfacing with Federal Agencies for successful outcomes.
“We embrace the mantra that when you educate women, you educate a nation. When you train a girl , you build a strong future for the nation. We join Your Excellencies in this noble ambition”, he said.
Earlier, Hamid Bobboyi, the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education (UBEC), said the available data showed that out of the 3,904,713 pupils in Primary 6 across the Country in 2021, who were expected to transit to JSS in 2022, only 1,602,213 could be accounted for in JSS One of 2022, indicating that more than two million were drop-outs.
