How to reduce rate of out-of-school children among girls in Oyo – Study

By Oluseye Ojo

Arecent study has revealed the daunting challenges facing girl child education in Oyo State and that every girl requires approximately N267, 600 per session, to access essential school supplies and resources so that retention rate of girls in school can increase.

The report, titled “State of Girl Child Education in Oyo State,” was released by a non-governmental organisation, Onelife Initiative, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, this month.

The breakdown of the N267, 600 per session in terms, showed that every girl would have to pay N89,200 for each of the three terms in a session.

The study, backed by the Malala Fund, surveyed 34 secondary schools across Oyo’s three geopolitical zones, and gathered insights from 1,280 female students along with interviews and discussions with key educational stakeholders.

The findings drew attention to the significant gaps in educational performance, particularly in local government areas such as Iseyin, where only 11 out of 1,267 girls who sat for the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination managed to secure five credits, including in key subjects like Mathematics and English.

To bolster educational efforts, Onelife Initiative has also launched a new website, aimed at training corps members to become more effective educators. The site features five tailored modules designed to equip first-time teachers with vital knowledge and skills to empower the girl child in their classrooms—along with rewards for completing the modules.

The Executive Director of Onelife Initiative, ‘Sola Fagorusi, urged stakeholders to embrace the report’s recommendations and prioritise the urgent needs of Oyo girls.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in the state, Prof. Abdulwaheed Adelabu, represented by Elder Delani Binuyo, Permanent Secretary/Inspector-General of Education, emphasised the communal responsibility for education, stating, “Education should not be seen as the affair of the state government alone.”

Mrs Toyin Balogun, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, represented by the Director, of Child Welfare, Mr Gbemileke Ojerinde, assured participants of the government’s commitment to enhancing girl child education through scholarships, feeding programmes, and advocacy for gender-sensitive curricula.