Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has commissioned the rehabilitated First Alternative High School for Girls in Agboju, Lagos State, as part of efforts to provide education and vocational opportunities for girls whose schooling has been disrupted.
The school, established in 2007 during Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State First Lady, caters to girls affected by early pregnancy, poverty and other socio-economic challenges, providing them with an opportunity to return to secondary education and acquire vocational skills.
Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, at the commissioning on Friday, said the circumstances that interrupted a girl’s education should not determine her future.
She said the Renewed Hope Initiative was expanding the alternative high school model across the six geopolitical zones, adding that plans were underway to establish at least one such school in each zone.
Tinubu also urged the Lagos State Government to establish an alternative high school in Lagos Central, noting that Lagos West and Lagos East already have similar institutions.
The rehabilitation was undertaken by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and included upgrades to classrooms, laboratories, computer facilities, vocational training spaces, furniture, water and sanitation infrastructure.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, said the intervention was designed to give girls who had dropped out of school, including young mothers, another opportunity to complete their education.
Garba said the rehabilitation also provided skills-development equipment and other facilities needed to support both academic and vocational training.
She disclosed that the second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was at an advanced stage of completion and would soon be commissioned.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said the state government would maintain the rehabilitated facility and sustain its mandate of providing second-chance education.
She said some graduates of the school’s vocational programmes had also received empowerment items in areas including catering, make-up and cosmetology.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, and the Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Hakeem Babatunde Deshittu, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to sustaining the institution.
The school’s rehabilitation comes amid broader efforts by government to expand access to education and create alternative pathways for children and young people whose schooling has been interrupted.
