By Modupe George
Stakeholders in education, civil society organisations, and other institutions in the education sector in Oyo State have called on aspirants across levels in the forthcoming general election to prioritise education in their agendas and, most importantly, the education of the girl-child.
This formed the crux of deliberations at a two-day consultative meeting organised by the Onelife Initiative, in collaboration with the YouthHub Africa with support from the Malala Fund, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
The consultative meeting with the theme, ‘2023 Elections: Transforming Basic Education in Oyo State,’ had in attendance education enthusiasts in Oyo State, including non-governmental organisations; representatives from the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).
Also in attendance were: teachers, school counsellors, labour unions, the media, and other key stakeholders involved in the education of the girl-child.
In his opening remarks at the event, the Oyo State Commissioner for education, Dr Rahman Abdul-Raheem, represented by Mrs Olukemi Bolaji, said that “it is high time we all came together to face the challenges affecting the common goal in the transformation of education and that of the girl-child in our society.”
He added that “we must discuss and arrive at a holistic approach to end issues affecting and influencing girl-child education, which have undergone many challenges over the years.”
He listed some of the challenges militating against the education of the girl-child to include pre-marital sex, child marriage, abortion, lack of parental care/broken homes, unemployment, wrong values, attitude, poverty, and insecurity, among others, saying “finding lasting solutions to all the problems requires a concerted effort from all of us.”
He appreciated the Onelife Initiative and other partners for putting up the programme, saying “it is highly commendable.”
The Executive Director of Onelife Initiative, ‘Sola Fagorusi, while speaking on the rationale behind setting up a consultative meeting on the girl-child education in relation to the 2023 elections, said the move was part of a national manifesto asks to unlock the power of education at the federal, state, and local levels.
According to him, “some of these asks for the girl-child education at the federal level include making senior secondary education free and fair; funding education more and better; and making schools safe.”
Fagorusi also explained that the ‘asks’ from the two-day event would be put together and forwarded to leading gubernatorial and legislative aspirants from the various political parties to press them into considering girl-child education as a priority upon assumption of office by any of them in May.
The Executive Director of YouthHub Africa, Rotimi Olawale, stated in his own contribution, that while data indicates that girls are disadvantaged in this regard from the primary to tertiary level, a consultation with education stakeholders at this time is necessary because education continues to be one of the biggest levelers in the world for emancipating people from poverty.
At the end of the consultation, some of the aggregated asks that were generated include: fencing of all school perimeters to improve security, provision of recreational facilities for girls in schools, placement of girls in schools closer to their homes or parent’s/guardian’s workplaces; a mentorship programme for girls; exchange programmes for girls and teachers; a review of educational policies; and the inclusion of girl-child specific contents, amongst others.
