Dropped-Out Girls Get Second Chance as Lagos Commissions Nigeria’s First Alternative Secondary School
Dropped-Out Girls Get Second Chance as Lagos Commissions Nigeria’s First Alternative Secondary School
For years, interrupted education had left many girls wondering if their dreams of becoming professionals, entrepreneurs and successful women would ever be fulfilled.
That story has now changed for a group of girls in Lagos with the commissioning of Nigeria’s first Alternative Secondary School for Girls, an initiative created to give girls who dropped out of school a second chance to return to education and rebuild their future.
The school, located on Old Ojo Road, Agboju, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, was commissioned on Friday, August 14, by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, who was represented at the ceremony by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima.
For the beneficiaries, the commissioning represented more than the opening of a new school. It was an opportunity to return to the classroom after circumstances ranging from economic hardship and personal challenges to other social factors had disrupted their education.
Addressing the students, Senator Tinubu urged them to see the school as a platform to rebuild their dreams, acquire knowledge and skills, and prepare themselves for a better future.
“You can achieve what you want with dedication and resilience,” she told the girls.
The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, also told the students that their past should not determine their future, stressing that “every girl deserves a second chance.”
According to her, the initiative had restored dignity to girls who might have lost hope of returning to school.
“It is a second chance school, and it has restored dignity to our girls who had never thought life would smile at them again,” she said.
The school provides the beneficiaries with an alternative pathway back into formal education while equipping them with relevant vocational and technological skills that can support further education, entrepreneurship and economic independence.
For the girls, therefore, the message from the authorities is clear: dropping out of school does not mean dropping out of life.
Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, reinforced this message, telling the students that their stories were not over.
“Our dear students, this school tells you that your story is not over. A setback is not the end. With hard work, discipline, and the support around you, you can rewrite your future. We all believe in you,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr. Aisha Garba, said no child’s circumstances should determine his or her future.
She disclosed that another Alternative School for Girls located in Ikorodu would soon be commissioned, while the Federal Government is considering further reforms and initiatives around alternative education for girls.
The Lagos First Lady later presented gifts to outstanding students who had distinguished themselves in various skills and crafts, providing another source of encouragement for the beneficiaries.
The commissioning brought together government officials, education stakeholders, traditional rulers, development partners, parents and community members.
But beyond the speeches and ceremony, the most significant beneficiaries were the girls themselves — young women who now have another opportunity to sit in a classroom, acquire education and skills, and pursue dreams that once appeared to have been cut short.
For them, the Alternative Secondary School is not simply a new school.
It is a second chance.
