The President’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, showed concerns on the rate at which schoolchildren, especially the female genders, are dropping out of school in the country.

The Senator, stated that her wish is to see all the young girls and women, who dropped out of school due to unplanned pregnancies, cultural barriers, economic or financial reasons, return back to school.

The President’s wife said this in Osogbo, Osun State, during the turning-of-sod ceremony of the Alternative High School for Girls.

She introduced the idea for the establishment of an Alternative High School for Girls, which was accepted and utilised by the Lagos State Ministry of Education in 2007, during her husband’s tenure as the Governor of Lagos State.

Oluremi stated that Osun State was chosen as the site for the school through a raffle draw, and commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for donating land for the project.

She said, “I envisioned and introduced the idea for the establishment of an Alternative High School for Girls, a vision which was accepted and utilised by the Lagos State Ministry of Education in 2007 when my husband was the Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and this particular school still runs till date.

“My motivation as an educationist and life long teacher stemmed from the desire to see young girls and women who dropped out of school due to unplanned pregnancies, cultural barriers, economic or financial reasons and many more, have a second chance to complete high school, acquire higher education and valuable life skills, to enable them to reach their full potential in life.”

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, gave further details on how the school would operate,  adding that when the  school is completed it would  “have workshops for entrepreneurial training in the vocational trades like fashion design, home economics and catering.”

“It has a laboratory equipped with desktop computers and tablets to provide digital literacy to all learners and enhance access and utilisation of digital resources.

“In addition to these, there is a provision for fully furnished and equipped classrooms and nursery play area for the Early Childhood Care Development and Education. It is expected that women who will be enrolled in the school will be accompanied by young children of nursery school age.

“The facility will not only allow their mothers to concentrate on their programme, but it will also entice the young children to learn and provide the foundation they require to excel in their educational careers. The other supporting facilities to be provided in the school include a cafeteria, a sickbay, staff rooms and other offices designed to provide a conducive work environment and support teaching and learning.”

Governor Adeleke, in his declaration, said the support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, stating that Osun State was undergoing total transformation with the women at the heart of the agenda of his administration.