By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

Kwara state government in partnership with ABYEM Helping Aid Foundation has concluded arrangements to empower 1300 Out- of- School Girls across the sixteen local governments area of the state.

The partnership is targeted at 15-25 aged girls,streets hawkers and beggars,who dropped out of school,to make them return to classrooms or empower them as might be applicable,in order make them meaningful to the society and fulfil brighter futures.

The Chief Executive Officer of ABYEM Helping Aid Foundation, Prince Abiodun Otepola, disclosed this at a stakeholders meeting in Ilorin on the Implementation of the NEEDS Assessment of Out of School Girls and Young Women in the state for execution,on a Sub Component of the Kwara state Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project
According to him,” the programme is about giving our girls that have dropped out of school a second chance.

“We are partnering with the state government and the world Bank to enable our girls between the ages of 15-25 years to go back to school or enroll them for skills or handwork for those that will not be able to go back to school.

“They want us to go and look for those that are affected if they will be able to go back to school and make them useful in the society.”

He added that,”after this inception programme,we have a population of 1300 across the state and we have identified 20 vocational centres across the 16 local governments in the state and in each local government we are going to be meeting with 65 as sampling for each local government.

” We are going to populate the register for the state government through AGILE which will help to empower them after training and vocational studies.”

For those that wanr go back to school,Otepola said that,”the government will pay them and pay their parents to encourage them to submit their children to go back to school. Another component is handling that.”

For his part,Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Hon Lawal Olohungbebe in his address expressed concern that,”the rate of out-of school children specifically adolescent girls is worrisome in the country.It is not doubtful that this case is more prevalent in the Northern part of the country, which Kwara state is not totally exempted.

“The incident is detrimental to the society which requires the support of all stakeholders to salvage it”.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry,Mrs Rebecca Olanrewaju at the ocassion the Commissioner explained that,AGILE Project has factored the occurrence, stressing that a sub committee known as Second Chance has Ben designed to critically assess and amend the case of Out of School children.

“It is designed to make children who have missed conventional educational system to learn through non formal educational centres “he stressed
He noted further that ,”one of the wings of the second chance education is the vocational training.The role of the consultant is to identify the livelihood and marketable skills for the implementation of the out- of- school programme to give second chance education and empowerment to our adolescent girls and young women in the state.This will improve their economic prosperity and financial confidence for sustainability.”

The Commissioner therefore urged the consultant ABYEM Helping Aid Foundation,”to work assiduously to give inspiring outcome that will assist the implementation process.As a Non governmental organization,it is not deniable that you’re conversant with the activity.I am optimistic that your engagement is as a result of your previous knowledge in the field.”

Chairman Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Kwara state chapter and 1st Malama of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Oniye; in his remark urged the stakeholders, including various NGOs, Human rights activists, among others who were present to first find out the foundational cause of out- of -school of the children and solve the problems in order to put education of the country on strong and sound footing.

The septuagenarian also called on the consultant and state government,to focus their attention on the boys and young men who have also dropped out of school, stressing that their cases are also critical.

“We have young boys and young men walking about aimlessly on the streets,some of them are touts.They are out of school,the stakeholders should also consider them in this programme,it would make our society safer and better”he added