The Oyo State Government, in collaboration with the Malala Fund and the NGO OneLife Initiative, has stepped up efforts to tackle the growing number of out-of-school children through a renewed push for inclusive and gender sensitive education reforms.
A high-level technical workshop was held in Ibadan as part of the state’s Education Advancement Pre Summit. The one day session brought together key stakeholders including government officials, education policymakers, civil society groups, private sector leaders, and development partners.
The forum featured keynote addresses, policy papers, breakout sessions, and panel discussions aimed at crafting sustainable strategies to improve education access across the state, particularly for girls and vulnerable children.
Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Oluwafowokanmi Oluwafemi, reaffirmed the legislature’s full support for the ongoing reforms.
“Education is a shared responsibility,” he said. “To ensure every child’s right to learn and thrive, we must work together, civil society, development partners, local communities, and parents.”
In her remarks, the Nigeria Partnership Manager for Malala Fund, Maryam Danburam, highlighted the shared vision driving the engagement.
“We are gathered here due to a shared commitment to strengthen education in Oyo State so as to secure a brighter future for the children, especially girls,” she noted.
Executive Director of OneLife Initiative, Sola Fagorusi, stressed the importance of unified action across institutions and sectors.
“The workshop was put together because of the need for interagency, ministerial, and departmental collaborations, including the role of media and civil society organisations,” he said, calling on stakeholders to contribute their best ideas and initiatives.
Also speaking, a representative from Education as a Vaccine, an advocacy focused NGO, explained that the project seeks to promote a gender responsive, transparent, and accountable education system in Oyo State that ensures girls are enrolled and retained in school.
Representatives of the Oyo State Ministry of Education, the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Parent Teacher Association, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the National Orientation Agency also delivered goodwill messages in support of the initiative.
Participants identified several factors contributing to the out-of-school challenge, including low parental involvement, limited government capacity, regional disparities in education delivery, food insecurity, and the lack of inclusive learning environments.
The forum concluded with a range of recommendations. These include stronger enforcement of compulsory education laws, improved collaboration between federal and state education bodies, expansion of school feeding programmes, and deeper community engagement.
Stakeholders also called for more support for parents, implementation of inclusive education policies, and sustained collaboration across sectors to drive long term impact.
Four authors of key position papers were specially recognised for their contributions to shaping the education reform agenda discussed at the workshop.
Organisers say the engagement serves as a foundational step toward broader reforms to strengthen the education system in Oyo State.
