The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has launched an Alternative High School for Girls in Agboju, Lagos State to enable female school dropouts to return to the classroom. Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, said poverty, early marriage, teenage pregnancy, displacement and family responsibilities should not permanently deny girls access to education. Garba said the intervention was more than the renovation of a school, describing it as an effort to restore hope and give vulnerable girls and young women a second chance to complete their education. “A girl whose circumstances prevented her from completing her education should be given another opportunity,” she said. She explained that the school would combine academic instruction with vocational education and practical skills to equip beneficiaries with knowledge and competencies needed for economic independence. The rehabilitation included renovated classrooms, ICT facilities, laboratory equipment, vocational training tools, furniture, water and sanitation facilities, as well as other environmental improvements. Garba urged the Lagos State Government to sustain the facility and ensure that it remained accessible to girls seeking to resume their education. She also disclosed that construction of another Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was nearing completion, describing it as part of efforts to expand second-chance education opportunities across the state. According to her, UBEC will further equip the Agboju school with a bus and digital smart boards before the end of 2026. Garba said the success of the intervention would ultimately be measured not by the quality of the renovated buildings but by the achievements of the girls who pass through the school. She appealed to residents of Agboju to protect the facility and support its beneficiaries as they rebuild their educational and professional futures.
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