Lagos embarks on street campaigns to woo drop-outs back to school
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Lagos State government has embarked on public enlightenment campaigns to educate school drop outs, especially young girls on the need to go back to school to complete their education for a better future.
Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Education, Barrister Tokunbo Wahab, speaking during a day sensitization/ public enlightenment programme by his Office in Amuwo Odofin Local Council to sensitise residents on the need to re- enroll school drop outs, implored the girl-child who may have dropped out of school system due to early pregnancy, poverty, early marriage or other factors to return to school to continue their education.
What urged young girls who missed education early in life due to early pregnancy, trafficking, poverty or other factors to take advantage of the Alternative school system of the state government to re-enroll themselves for secondary education and learn a vocation that would make them become entrepreneurs.
He also said plans are afoot to build five new alternative schools in the state in addition to the one in Agboju, Education District 5, so as to have the presence of such school in all the six administrative divisions of the state in line with the state government’s vision for Mass literacy for sustainable development.
Wahab explained that the administration of Sanwo-Olu is determined to increase literacy level and grow young entrepreneurs who will be self sufficient and contribute to the growth of the economy of the state.
The special adviser, who was represented at the street-to-street public enlightenment campaigns by the chairman of the Governing Board of the Alternative High School for Girls, Agboju, Mrs Funmilola Olajide, stated that education remains a strong weapon to fight poverty and ignorance, adding that the vision for a new Lagos with education and technology in the six pillar development agenda of the state government could only be achieved when residents are well educated and enlightened.
While noting that there was no age barrier to acquiring knowledge, Wahab urged market women and house wives who narrowly missed education early in life to take the advantage of mass literacy policy of the state government to enroll back for secondary education at the Alternative High School for Girls at Agboju or register to learn any vocation of their choice at any of the nine vocational training centres available in the state.
He said the state government would assist them with soft loans to start their businesses through the Lagos State Employment Trust Funds.(LSETF)
According to him, the growing rate of the state’s population required a comprehensive educational approach that would prioritize the development of both formal and informal education to achieve success in the mass literacy policy of the state government for rapid socio- economic development.
One of the students, Mrs Jemilah Sulyman, a 38 year old mother of 8 children from Kano, said her parents forced her into early marriage which was believed by them was the tradition. She said her husband encouraged her to enroll in the school when it was becoming difficult for her to communicate in English with her children at home as the children were raised in Lagos State and could not speak Hausa language.
She said the school is helpful as she is gradually speaking English Language, while she is learning a vocation free of charge from the school’s vocational centre.
