The Mentoring Assistance for Youth and Entrepreneurs Initiative (MAYEIN) has called on the Oyo State Government to intensify efforts to address poverty, insecurity, child marriage, period poverty and inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, which continue to undermine girls’ access to education.

The Executive Director of MAYEIN, Ewa Oluwa Orowale, made the call while speaking on the outcomes of the organisation’s Girls in Education Dialogues project, stressing that improving girls’ education required more than increasing school enrolment.

Orowale said many girls in under-served communities faced multiple barriers, including long distances to school, transportation costs, poverty and insecurity, while hidden costs of education such as uniforms, books, shoes and other learning materials could place additional pressure on low-income families.

She said some girls were forced to stay at home or engage in economic activities such as hawking to support their families, while child marriage, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence also contributed to school dropout.

According to her, period poverty remained a major concern, especially in schools where girls lacked sanitary materials, clean toilets and a reliable water supply.

“When girls repeatedly miss school, they fall behind academically and may struggle to catch up,” she said.

Orowale urged the government to move beyond the construction of school toilets to ensuring their regular maintenance, adequate water supply and accessibility for children living with disabilities.

She also called for stronger safeguarding systems in schools, including confidential reporting mechanisms, designated safeguarding officers and clear procedures for handling complaints of bullying, sexual harassment, gender-based violence and other forms of abuse.

“Safeguarding must go beyond documents and become part of the school’s everyday operations,” she said.

Orowale said teachers, school administrators and other personnel working with children should receive appropriate safeguarding training, while government and school authorities should conduct relevant background checks during recruitment.

She added that students should be educated about their rights, safeguarding and the channels available to them to report abuse safely.

On the Girls in Education Dialogues project, Orowale said MAYEIN began the initiative in 2022 with the objective of helping schoolgirls understand their rights, develop self-advocacy skills and participate in decisions affecting their education.

She said the project started with 100 schoolgirls across 10 schools in Oyo State and reached 300 girls and 50 boys between 2022 and 2025.

With support from the AU-EU Youth Action Lab, she said the organisation also engaged education stakeholders on challenges affecting girls and produced a Girls in Education documentary featuring schoolgirls sharing their experiences.

According to her, the documentary was screened at the AU-EU Link and Learn event in Ethiopia in December 2025, which brought together delegates from about 21 countries.

Orowale said the organisation had also trained teachers and guidance counsellors in social and emotional learning, improved pedagogy and psychosocial support.

She said the training was important because guidance counsellors could play a key role in supporting children facing difficulties at school and at home and improving learning outcomes.

Speaking on MAYEIN’s engagement with the Oyo State Ministry of Education, she said the ministry expressed support for the organisation’s work in public schools and reiterated its commitment to inclusive and quality education for boys, girls and persons with disabilities.

She said the organisation also welcomed the ministry’s concern about ensuring that boys were not left behind in efforts to empower girls.

“We see boys as allies in promoting gender equality and inclusive education. Empowering girls should not mean excluding boys,” she said.

Orowale said schools should also strengthen student leadership by involving head boys, head girls and other student representatives meaningfully in decisions concerning school policies, welfare and the learning environment.

She said gender-responsive education should be promoted to ensure that school leaders and teachers understood the different experiences and needs of boys and girls.

She added that MAYEIN had recorded some progress in promoting girls’ participation in school activities, noting that nine of the 10 schools participating in the project had girls taking part in sports in 2025.

According to her, participation was more limited when the project began in 2022, suggesting that sustained engagement could contribute to positive changes in schools.

However, Orowale said MAYEIN was shifting its focus from advocacy to implementation and accountability, stressing the need for government, schools and school leaders to translate policies and commitments into practical action.

She also urged the government to measure the success of education interventions by learning outcomes rather than enrollment and expenditure figures alone.

“Enrolment without learning is not enough,” she said, advocating greater attention to literacy, numeracy, retention, completion, teacher quality, school safety and access to essential facilities.

Orowale said education funding should prioritise foundational literacy and numeracy, conducive learning environments, teaching materials, appropriate curricula, teacher development and effective monitoring and evaluation.

She said increased funding should be accompanied by transparent processes capable of showing how resources were spent and whether such expenditure was improving children’s learning.

On the challenge of girls returning to school after dropping out, Orowale advocated flexible learning arrangements and second-chance education programmes for girls affected by poverty, early marriage, teenage pregnancy and displacement.

She called for partnerships between government, non-profit organisations, civil society groups and education networks to create pathways for affected girls to resume their education.

Orowale also urged the government and schools to address Nigeria’s digital divide by prioritising basic computer literacy before advanced training in artificial intelligence.

She said many young people in underserved communities still lacked access to computers, electricity and reliable internet connectivity, making basic digital skills an important starting point.

At MAYEIN, she said, the Oyo Literacy Programme provides basic digital literacy training to students and young people through schools and community centres, while also introducing participants to artificial intelligence.

She urged the government to invest in accessible digital learning resources, including offline devices and materials for communities with limited electricity and internet access.

On preparing young people for employment, Orowale called for more practical, technical and entrepreneurial learning across secondary and tertiary education.

She also advocated wider access to internships, structured work-experience programmes, digital skills and career guidance, saying young people needed opportunities to acquire practical experience before entering the labour market.

Looking ahead to 2027, Orowale said MAYEIN planned to expand its SMART Libraries programme, which provides small, mobile and internet-enabled learning spaces in underserved communities.

She said the organisation currently had four library and community centres in Ibadan and was exploring partnerships with Community Development Associations and Community Development Councils to establish safe learning spaces for young people.

She said MAYEIN was also working on a new SMART Library in Ibadan North Local Government, while its 2027 target was to establish at least 10 new SMART Libraries across Nigeria in addition to its existing facilities.

Orowale said partnerships with local, state and federal government agencies, community stakeholders, non-profit organisations and corporate bodies would be crucial to expanding the programme.

She said the initiative was aimed at addressing literacy challenges while providing young people in underserved communities with safe spaces to read, learn and develop their potential.

On the broader issue of girls’ participation in education, Orowale said it was important to move beyond tokenism by ensuring that girls had meaningful opportunities to influence decisions affecting their education and welfare.

“Girls must have a seat at the table and be able to contribute meaningfully to decisions about their education and future,” she said.

She urged government and other stakeholders to deepen partnerships with civil society organisations, nonprofits and corporate organisations to promote inclusive and quality education for boys, girls and persons with disabilities.