UBEC: No Child Must Be Denied Quality Education Over Circumstances

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, has declared that poverty, displacement, teenage motherhood, conflict or any other difficult circumstance must never become a barrier to a Nigerian child’s access to quality education.

Garba made the declaration in Lagos during the formal commissioning of the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls, Agboju, describing the project as a bold investment in second chances for girls and young women whose education had been disrupted.

The UBEC boss said the intervention went beyond the rehabilitation of classrooms and provision of facilities, stressing that it was about restoring hope and opening fresh pathways for girls determined to reclaim their education and build productive futures.

She said a girl who had dropped out of school should not be written off as a lost cause, just as a young mother seeking to return to learning should not be made to feel that her opportunity had expired.

“A girl whose circumstances prevented her from completing her education should be given another opportunity. Every child deserves an alternative pathway to acquire the education they deserve to succeed in life,” she said.

Garba said the Alternative High School for Girls was established to provide girls and young women with opportunities to return to education, acquire relevant 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 future is renewed,” she added.

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 sustained commitment to the education and empowerment of girls and young women.

According to Garba, the First Lady’s intervention, represented at the event by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, underscores the Federal Government’s determination to ensure that no Nigerian child is left behind.

She stressed that children affected by conflict, displacement and other difficult circumstances still possessed dreams, talents and enormous potential which deserved to be nurtured.

Garba said the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative,NESRI, was implementing reforms designed to expand access, improve learning outcomes and strengthen the quality of education across the country.

She said the Agboju project reflected UBEC’s commitment to inclusive education, noting that the intervention covered school infrastructure, academic facilities, 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.

Garba disclosed that UBEC had formally handed over the rehabilitated facility to the Lagos State Government, charging the state to sustain the investment, maintain the facilities and ensure that the school continued to fulfil its mandate.

She further disclosed that construction of the second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was at an advanced stage, saying the facility would further widen access to alternative education for girls and young women.

The UBEC chief also announced that the Commission would provide a school bus and digital smart boards for the classrooms before the end of 2026.

She, however, maintained that the ultimate test of the intervention would not be the physical appearance of the school but its ability to transform the lives of the girls who pass through its gates.

“The true measure of our success will be the girl who walks through these gates and discovers that she still has a future.

“It will be the girl who acquires a skill, finds employment, starts a business or becomes a leader in her community. That is why this investment matters,” Garba said.

She called on the Agboju community to take ownership of the school by protecting its facilities and supporting the girls enrolled in the institution, stressing that sustainable educational development required the collective commitment of government, communities and other stakeholders.

Source: Vanguard