Mariam Abeeb
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba, has said that no child’s circumstances should hinder access to quality education, stressing that every Nigerian child deserves an opportunity to learn, develop their abilities and fulfil their potential.
Garba stated this during the formal commissioning of the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls, Agboju, Lagos State.
She said the rehabilitation of the school, supported by UBEC through its UBE direct intervention, was more than an infrastructure project, as it represented a renewed opportunity for girls and young women whose education had been interrupted for various reasons.
According to her, a girl who dropped out of school should not be regarded as a lost cause, while a young mother seeking to return to school should not be told that her time had passed.
“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.
The UBEC boss said the Alternative High School for Girls was established to provide girls and young women with opportunities to return to learning, acquire 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 future is renewed,” she said.
Garba also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritising education and human capital development under the Renewed Hope Agenda, while applauding the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her commitment to the education and empowerment of girls and young women.
She said the intervention and support of the First Lady demonstrated the importance attached to ensuring that every girl has an opportunity to learn, develop her abilities and fulfil her potential.
Represented at the occasion by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, the First Lady, according to Garba, had continued to inspire efforts aimed at ensuring that no child is left behind.
She said children affected by conflict, displacement or difficult circumstances still had dreams, talents and potential and deserved every opportunity to succeed.
Garba said the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), was pursuing reforms aimed at improving the quality of education, expanding access and ensuring that no Nigerian child was left behind.
She said the rehabilitation of the Agboju Alternative High School was consistent with UBEC’s commitment to inclusive education.
She explained that the intervention covered school infrastructure, academic facilities, furniture for pupils, teachers and school managers, ICT equipment and tools, 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 said UBEC has formally handed over the rehabilitated facility to the Lagos State Government, urging the state to sustain the investment, maintain the facilities and ensure that the school continued to serve the girls for whom it was established.
She disclosed that the second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was at an advanced stage of completion and would further expand opportunities for girls and young women seeking alternative pathways back into education.
The UBEC boss also announced that the Commission would, before the end of 2026, provide a school bus and digital smart boards for classrooms.
She, however, stressed that the true measure of the intervention would not be the beauty of the school building but the impact it would have on the lives of the girls.
“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 urged the Agboju community to take ownership of the school by protecting and maintaining the facilities and supporting the girls who attend the institution.
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