Every school-age child deserves access to education – Foundation

By Oluseye Ojo

Ahead of resumption of primary and secondary schools for the 2025/2026 academic session, the Michael Kolawole Omotosho (MKO) Foundation has said every school-age child deserves to be in school.

The founder of the organisation, Bashorun Michael Kola Omotosho, who made the disclosure, noted that many children in Nigeria either do not attend school or drop out of school because they lacked basic materials.

This, according to him, has been contributing to the high rate of out-of-school children (OOSC) in the country. According to reports, one in three children is out of school in Nigeria, putting the total OOSC in the nation at above 18million, accounting for 15 per cent of the global total of OOSC

Omotosho stated this when he officially launched a series of empowerment initiatives aimed at transforming the lives of students, youth, and widows across Oyo State.

The initiatives, unveiled during the inauguration of the foundation, held at Abike House, Ibadan, included a back-to-school scheme, free health checks, widow empowerment programmes, and vocational training in fashion design, catering, and information technology and software development.

In his address on the occasion, Omotosho emphasised that the vision of the foundation was inspired by the legacy of his late parents, who were widely celebrated for their generosity and compassion.

He explained that the back-to-school programme would provide children from underserved communities with essential learning materials, such as exercise books, school uniforms, and school bags.

“We discovered that many children don’t even attend school because they lack basic materials. We are currently reaching out to 30 schools across Oyo State, distributing about 600 notebooks in each. Every child will receive at least four notebooks,” he revealed.

On the health programme, he stressed: “We provide free services such as blood pressure checks and refer people to hospitals for proper treatment.”

The foundation also stated its student-led and micro-business initiatives, which would support young Nigerians in developing start-up ideas, small businesses, and digital tools, while also providing mentorship and micro-funding opportunities.

Project Coordinator of the foundation, Jonathan Odunayo, described MKO Foundation as a grassroots intervention designed to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.