Aisha Garba, Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), has said no child’s circumstances should prevent access to quality education, stressing that every Nigerian child deserves an opportunity to learn, develop their abilities and fulfil their potential.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by Ikharo Attah Special adviser, media and publicity, Garba stated this during the formal commissioning of the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls in Agboju, Lagos State.
She said the rehabilitation of the school, supported by UBEC through its UBE direct intervention, went beyond the provision of infrastructure, describing it as a renewed opportunity for girls and young women whose education had been interrupted for various reasons.
According to her, girls who dropped out of school should not be regarded as lost causes, while young mothers seeking to return to education should not be made to feel that they had missed their opportunity.
“A girl whose circumstances prevented her from completing her education should be given another opportunity.
“Every child deserves an alternative pathway to acquire the education they deserve to succeed in life,” she said.
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Garba explained that the Alternative High School for Girls was established to provide girls and young women with opportunities to return to learning, acquire relevant skills and pursue productive and fulfilling lives.
She urged stakeholders to ensure that the institution became more than a place for classroom learning by providing an environment where the girls could rebuild their confidence and develop hope for the future.
“Let this not simply be a place where girls attend classes. Let it be a place where hope is restored, confidence is built and future is renewed,” she said.
The UBEC boss commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritising education and human capital development under the Renewed Hope Agenda, while also acknowledging the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for her commitment to the education and empowerment of girls and young women.
She said the support of the First Lady, who was represented at the occasion by Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the Vice President, demonstrated the importance attached to ensuring that every girl had an opportunity to learn, develop her abilities and fulfil her potential.
Garba noted that children affected by conflict, displacement and other difficult circumstances still had dreams, talents and potential, and should therefore be given opportunities to succeed.
She said the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), was implementing reforms aimed at improving the quality of education, expanding access and ensuring that no Nigerian child was left behind.
According to her, the rehabilitation of the Agboju Alternative High School was in line with UBEC’s commitment to promoting inclusive education and creating alternative pathways for learners who had been excluded from conventional schooling.
She said the intervention covered school infrastructure, academic facilities, furniture for pupils, teachers and school managers, ICT equipment and tools, laboratory and vocational equipment, WASH facilities and environmental improvements.
“We believe that investment in education should be visible, not only in figures and reports, but in the classrooms where children learn, in the facilities they use and, most importantly, in the lives they are able to transform,” Garba said.
The UBEC executive secretary said the Commission had formally handed over the rehabilitated facility to the Lagos State Government, urging the state to sustain the investment, maintain the facilities and ensure that the school continued to serve the girls for whom it was established.
She disclosed that the second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was at an advanced stage of completion, adding that it would further expand opportunities for girls and young women seeking alternative routes back into education.
Garba also announced that UBEC would, before the end of 2026, provide the school with a bus and digital smart boards for its classrooms.
She, however, stressed that the success of the intervention should not be measured by the appearance of the renovated school but by its impact on the lives of the girls.
“The true measure of our success will be the girl who walks through these gates and discovers that she still has a future.
“It will be the girl who acquires a skill, finds employment, starts a business or becomes a leader in her community. That is why this investment matters,” she said.
Garba urged members of the Agboju community to take ownership of the school by protecting and maintaining the facilities and supporting the girls enrolled in the institution.
