The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Aisha Garba, has disclosed that no child’s personal circumstance should be a barrier to accessing quality education, stressing that every Nigerian child deserves the opportunity to learn, develop their abilities and achieve their potential.

Garba, who stated this while inaugurating the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls, Agboju, in Lagos State, said the project, supported by UBEC through its UBE direct intervention, was more than just infrastructure; 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 school 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,” she said.

Garba also commended President Bola Tinubu for prioritising education and human capital development, while applauding the President’s wife, Oluremi Tinubu, for her commitment to the education and empowerment of girls and young women.

She said the First Lady’s intervention and support demonstrated the importance attached to ensuring that every girl has an opportunity to learn, develop her abilities, and fulfil her potential.

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 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, Information and Communication Technology (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 disclosed that the commission 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 continues to serve the girls for whom it was established.

The UBEC boss also announced plans by the commission to provide a school bus and digital smart boards for classrooms before the end of the year.

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 girls’ lives.

Garba subsequently enjoined the Agboju community to take ownership of the school by protecting and maintaining the facilities and supporting the girls who attend the institution.