Nigeria’s first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has inaugurated Alternative High school for girls in Osun State which according to her, was to give girls who dropped out of school another opportunity to complete their education and acquire life sustaining skills.
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Speaking at the inauguration, before sod-turning, Tinubu said the vision to establish an Alternative High School was first conceived in 2007 which was adopted by the Lagos State Ministry of Education as a way of helping young girls who dropped out of school due unplanned pregnancies, financial reasons return and acquire education and life changing skills.
“In a world where every girl deserves the opportunity to thrive and reach her fullest potential, it is a sad thing to witness the barriers that stand in the way of their education. No doubt, without education, girls would lack necessary skills to support themselves and access information to make informed decisions about their health and future.
“The alarming rate of school dropouts among girls are 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”.
In his remark, Governor Ademola Adeleke while commending the first lady for the judicious manner Osun was picked for the project, assured her of the State support for the institution when it begins operation.
“For us in Osun State, we are here today because we are a beneficiary of your sense of justice. When during the raffle for the sitting of this school you picked Osun, you did not shift the goal post. We commend you for granting Osun this rare opportunity.of hosting this very important school.We assure Your Excellency that our administration will follow up and provide needed support to ensure a robust operation upon completion of the school.
“Our administration is also committed to supporting girl child education. We have introduced a series of programmes which strengthen the capacity of families to provide basic needs. Hence we emphasize workers welfare as a critical first line item in our five point agenda”, he said.
Earlier in address, the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Dr Hamid Boboyi said the school is expected to be completed within six months adding that similar school would be built in each state of the federation.
