First Lady to reintroduce schools for dropout girls

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has promised to reintroduce the Alternate High School for Girls, a programme targeting girls who dropped out of school.

Mrs. Tinubu announced this at a meeting with wives of state governors at the State House yesterday in Abuja under the aegis of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

The schools, the First Lady explained, would enable girls who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy, domestic violence, child trafficking, drug addiction and other reasons to return to the classroom and eke a living for themselves.

“I will be re-introducing the Alternative High School for Girls. It will interest you to know that some states already have similar programmes named ‘Second Chance Schools’. We are going to reach out to the Federal Ministry of Education to help us harmonise and restructure these special intervention schools,” she said.

A statement by her spokesperson Busola Kukoyi said the First Lady also announced that the RHI would distribute 1,950,000 exercise books to public primary and junior secondary schools across the nation.

The exercise books, which she said were already being produced, would be given to each state through the RHI Coordinator/governors’ wives in the states to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairmen for distribution to the students through the Local Government Education Authority.

According to her, Lagos and Kano will get 100,000 exercise books each, while 50,000 will be given to other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Senator Tinubu said the RHI would start its Women Agricultural Support Programmes (WASP) in Imo State on February 28.

The First Lady explained that women farmers would get N500,000.00 each while a total draft of N10,000,000 would be given to five RHI State Coordinators/governors’ wives, as the case may be.

Also, Senator Tinubu yesterday urged governors’ wives to remain steadfast and supportive of one another.

The First Lady praised them for the efforts they had been making in their states, especially to ameliorate the hardship that trailed the removal of the fuel subsidy.

“As we all know, the mission of the Renewed Hope Initiative, which is driven by my office to complement the efforts of the administration of our President and Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is towards a better life for families,” she said.

Senator Tinubu said an initiative of the Organisation of African First ladies for Development (OAFLAD), called: “We Are Equal, We Are the Same Campaign”, to empower women, promote economic growth, and advance gender equity would be launched soon.

A raffle draw was held and Osun State was picked to host the campaign take-off.

The First Lady also announced that the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, (NALDA), in partnership with the RHI, would support additional 80 women farmers from each state.

The initiative, she added, would provide training and capacity building, agricultural inputs and buy off all produce from the farms after harvests.

The highlight of the meeting was the unveiling of the proposed Young Farmers’ Club for public schools in each state with the proposed uniforms for members.