The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Not a summary of everything — the one thing that makes someone stop scrolling. A reader who only reads this paragraph must understand what happened. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to providing quality education to every Nigerian child, regardless of their circumstances. This comes as the commission formally commissions the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls in Lagos. Dr. Aisha Garba, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, made this commitment during the commissioning ceremony of the Agboju school in Lagos State. According to Garba, no child should be denied access to quality education due to difficult circumstances. She emphasized that every Nigerian child deserves an opportunity to learn, develop their abilities, and fulfill their potential. Garba also announced that UBEC had formally handed over the rehabilitated facility to the Lagos State Government. Garba urged the state government to sustain the investment, maintain the facilities, and ensure that the school continued to serve the girls for whom it was established.
The intervention comes against the backdrop of persistent challenges affecting access to basic and secondary education in Nigeria. These challenges include school dropout, poverty, displacement, and other social and economic circumstances that interrupt children's schooling. The establishment of alternative learning pathways is particularly important for girls and young women who leave school due to pregnancy, early marriage, family responsibilities, or other circumstances. Returning to conventional schools can be difficult for these girls.
The rehabilitation of the Agboju school, supported by UBEC through its Universal Basic Education intervention, is an opportunity for girls and young women whose education has been interrupted to return to learning. According to Garba, girls who dropped out of school should not be regarded as lost causes. Young mothers seeking to return to education should not be made to feel that their opportunity has passed. 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 the future is renewed. Garba emphasized that children affected by conflict, displacement, or difficult circumstances still have dreams, talents, and potential and deserved every opportunity to succeed.
She expressed her appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritizing education and human capital development under the Renewed Hope Agenda. Garba also praised the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her commitment to the education sector. The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, is pursuing reforms aimed at improving the quality of education, expanding access, and ensuring that no Nigerian child is left behind. This initiative has included investment in school infrastructure, learning facilities, teacher development, and programs targeted at vulnerable and out-of-school children.
The interventions have been focused on improving access, learning outcomes, and retention as part of efforts to address challenges in Nigeria's education system. Kano has 875,593 out-of-school children, according to official statistics. The interventions have been critical in addressing the challenges faced by the education sector in Nigeria.
Garba stressed that the success of the intervention should not be measured by the beauty of the rehabilitated school but by its impact on the lives of the girls. The true measure of their 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. This investment matters because it provides girls with opportunities to return to learning, acquire skills, and pursue their dreams.
The second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu is at an advanced stage of completion. This will further expand opportunities for girls and young women seeking alternative pathways back into education. UBEC will provide the school with a bus and digital smart boards for its classrooms before the end of 2026.