Public secondary schools across Ilorin metropolis recorded a generally low turnout of students on Monday, January 5, 2026, the first day of resumption for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic session, findings by our reporter have shown.
The resumption followed a directive issued by the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, ordering the reopening of public and private schools across the state, except in areas under special security surveillance.
The directive, announced on Sunday, January 4, was signed by the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, who said the decision was taken after an assessment of the security situation and ongoing operations by security agencies.
“We welcome our children and teachers back to school across the state. Learning activities are to resume immediately in all but areas earlier identified to be under special security surveillance,” Dr Olohungbebe said.
“This structured school resumption is designed to keep our children out of harm’s way amid renewed security operations. Normal school activities will resume in such places very soon.”
The commissioner added that the ministry, in collaboration with the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), wished students, teachers, and parents a successful academic term.
Radio Learning Introduced
As part of measures to expand access to education in areas where physical resumption may be delayed, the state government also launched a radio-based learning programme supported by UNICEF and the Nigeria Learning Passport.
According to the ministry, lessons will be broadcast on Midland FM 99.1 at 11 a.m. on Mondays, 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 2:30 p.m. on Fridays, with plans to include additional radio stations across the state.
Schools Resume, Students Lag Behind
Despite the official resumption, visits to several public secondary schools across Ilorin metropolis showed that many students failed to report to school on the first day.
At Banni Community Secondary School, the principal, Mr Babatunde A. A., said the school had reopened as directed, stressing that the absence of students was not due to any instruction from the school authorities.
“The failure of some students to resume early is not from us. It is their personal decision,” he said.
A junior secondary school teacher in the metropolis, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described late resumption by students as a recurring trend.
“Students not resuming in the first week has become a custom,” the teacher said.
“This affects academic activities seriously. Lessons planned for this week are often shifted forward, and teachers are later forced to rush the syllabus.”
The teacher also blamed parents for the trend, noting that they play a key role in ensuring that children return to school promptly.
Students Cite Cleaning Duties
Some students who failed to resume cited non-academic reasons for staying away.
Students of Government Day Secondary School, Adewole, and Mount Carmel Secondary School, Oloje, told our reporter that the first week of resumption is usually devoted to clearing bushes and cleaning classrooms left unused during the holiday.
“We don’t want to come now because teachers will mandate us to clean the school,” one of the students said.
Mixed Attendance Across Schools
A female junior secondary school teacher in Ilorin metropolis said while students were present in her school, turnout was noticeably low.
Similarly, abdulganiy isiaka a teacher at Sadom Community Secondary School, Abata Asunkere, said attendance was extremely poor.
“Most of our students did not come to school at all today,” the teacher said.
Education advocate and SDGs campaigner, Idris Olayinka Abdulganiyu, who monitored the resumption, also observed low turnout across the city.
He said he confronted three Senior Secondary School Three students of Ansarul Islam School he met outside during school hours.
“They told me they were preparing for examinations,” he said, describing the explanation as worrying.
A Familiar Pattern
Education stakeholders say the situation reflects a long-standing culture of delayed resumption in parts of Ilorin metropolis, now compounded by recent security concerns and economic pressures on families.
While school authorities insist that academic activities have commenced, the slow return of students raises concerns about effective learning time and syllabus completion as the term progresses.
For now, classrooms are open but many seats remain empty.
