UBEC boss reaffirms commitment to inclusive education

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, has reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to promoting inclusive education and ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality learning opportunities irrespective of their circumstances.

Garba stated this at the commissioning of the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls, Agboju, Lagos State, saying children whose education had been interrupted should be given opportunities to return to learning and fulfil their potential.

She described the commissioning as more than the renovation of a school, as it represented an opportunity for girls and young women to learn, acquire skills and rebuild their future.

According to her, “a girl, who dropped out of school should not be regarded as a lost cause,” while young mothers seeking to return to school should not be made to feel that their opportunity for education had passed.

“Every child deserves an alternative pathway to acquire the education they deserve to succeed in life,” she said.

Garba said the Alternative High School for Girls was established to provide opportunities for girls and young women whose education had been interrupted for various reasons to return to learning, acquire useful skills and pursue productive and fulfilling lives.

She said the initiative was consistent with the Federal Government’s commitment to education and human capital development under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The UBEC boss also commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her commitment to the education and empowerment of girls and young women across the country.

Represented at the occasion by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, the First Lady was also commended for supporting initiatives targeted at vulnerable children.

Garba cited the Model Orphanage Integrated School in Maiduguri, established to provide education and care for children who lost their parents, particularly as a result of insurgency, as an example of interventions aimed at ensuring that children’s circumstances do not determine the quality of education they receive.

She said children affected by conflict, displacement or difficult socioeconomic circumstances still had dreams, talents and potential and deserved opportunities to succeed.

READ ALSO: UBEC to spend 97.3% of 2026 budget on salaries

She noted that initiatives such as the Lagos Examinations Support Programme had helped students from less privileged backgrounds overcome financial barriers that could prevent them from participating in important examinations.

Garba also acknowledged the Lagos Boy Child Initiative for promoting mentorship, character development, academic growth and life skills among young people, adding that such interventions demonstrated that investment in children was an investment in the future of the country.

On the Federal Government’s education reforms, Garba said the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI, being implemented under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, was aimed at improving education quality, expanding access and ensuring that no Nigerian child was left behind.

She disclosed that UBEC had rehabilitated and upgraded the Agboju Alternative High School for Girls through its UBE Direct Intervention.

According to her, the intervention covered school infrastructure, academic facilities, furniture for pupils, teachers and school managers, ICT equipment and tools, laboratory and vocational equipment, water, sanitation and hygiene, WASH, infrastructure, as well as environmental improvements.

Garba said the investment demonstrated UBEC’s understanding of inclusive education as one that must be reflected not only in policies and reports but also in the quality of facilities available to learners.

She 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 continues to serve the girls for whom it was established.

The UBEC boss further disclosed that the second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was at an advanced stage of completion and would be commissioned in the coming months.

She added that UBEC would, before the end of 2026, provide a school bus and digital smart boards for classrooms as part of efforts to further enhance teaching and learning, noting, however, that the success of the project should not be measured by the beauty of the rehabilitated school alone but by the impact it would have 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,” she said.

She expressed hope that beneficiaries would acquire skills, secure employment, establish businesses and emerge as leaders capable of contributing meaningfully to their families and communities.

Garba commended the management and staff of UBEC, the Lagos State Government, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB, the school management and other stakeholders for their contributions to the successful rehabilitation of the facility.

She also urged the Agboju community to take ownership of the school by protecting and maintaining the facilities and supporting the girls who attend the institution.

“Let this not simply be a place where girls attend classes. Let it be a place where hope is restored, confidence is built and the future is renewed,” she said.