Kwara First Lady Seeks Equal Access To Girl-Child Education

First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrazaq, has called for equal access to quality education for every child, regardless of their socio-economic background. She made the appeal at an event organized by the Chidimma and Havilah Foundation themed: “The Need for Girl-Child Education”. School bags, exercise books, mathematical sets and uniforms among other educational […]

First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrazaq, has called for equal access to quality education for every child, regardless of their socio-economic background.

She made the appeal at an event organized by the Chidimma and Havilah Foundation themed: “The Need for Girl-Child Education”.

School bags, exercise books, mathematical sets and uniforms among other educational materials worth N50 million werewere distrinuted to 700 students across 14 public schools.

Represented by the Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Dr. Afeez Abolore Alabi, the First Lady emphasized the importance of education in line with Kwara State’s Ten-Year Strategic Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She expressed her gratitude to the organizers for their dedication to education and their support for underprivileged students.

Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Rebecca Bake, reaffirmed the every child counts educational policy of the government.

She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the materials, avoid distractions, and focus on their academic goals.

For her part, Secretary of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs. Adebisi Omolara Gloria, encouraged female students to take their education seriously and compete effectively with their male counterparts.

In his speech, CHIDIMMA and HAVILAH FOUNDATION’s National Technical Lead, Tiwatope Olumide, expressed the organization’s unwavering commitment to supporting the state overnment’s ten-year development plan.

Drawing insights from the most recent school census and baseline data, he noted the need to fill the urgent gaps in gender and educational equity.

He said the foundation is collaborating with Seed of Praise, with the support of SUBEB and the ministry to implement strategies that ensure equal access to education for girls.

According to him, the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a key partner in progress especially in the critical role of the media in advancing the campaign for adolescent education.

Project Manager for the Inspiring Girls and Grassroots Network for Inclusive and Transformative Education (IGNITE) Project, Dr. Ogunshola Olufemi, noted that beneficiaries were selected based on their level of vulnerability with school management government representatives.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiary schools, Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Tanke, Ilorin, Mrs. Kuburat Olumoh, expressed deep appreciation to the donors for their commitment to education, particularly for adolescent girls in the community.

Mrs. Olumoh noted that the gesture would significantly advance the cause of quality education and gender equality, inspiring hope among the students.