Oyo Govt Committed To Girl Child Welfare – Commissioner

*One life Initiative launches Volume II of t State of Girl Child Education

By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan

Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Segun Olayiwola on Tuesday, disclosed that the state is committed to girl child welfare,

The Commissioner said this at the official launching of Volume II of the State of Girl Child Education (SoGE) report in Oyo State held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan,

Represented by the Local Inspector of Education, Ibadan North, Mr. Kayode Okesade, Hon Olayiwola listed the on going girl child welfare in Oyo state as the annual commemoration of Menstrual Hygiene Day and the Day of the Girl Child through the Office of the First Lady.

The Commissioner while hailing the “One life Initiative” for its roles on the Girl Child education in and across Oyo state”, said “One life Initiative is one of the leading non-governmental organisations leading the course of improved service and resources to better the lots of girls’ education”.

The Executive Director of One life Initiative, Sola Fagorusi while speaking at the presentation of the report lamented the worrisome performance in some local government areas in Oyo state

“What is worrisome is that the drivers of these performances in Saki East remain unclear and are not easily replicable in other areas where girls are consistently underperforming.our biggest win will be knowing that this report informs decisions that lead to impactful interventions for the growing population of girls in Oyo State’s secondary schools and beyond”, Fagorusi said.

” The report, covering the 2023 and 2024 academic cycles, provides a rigorous assessment of girl child education across Oyo State’s public secondary schools, leveraging data sourced from NECO SSCE and WASSCE national examinations.
While the findings highlight notable progress in certain areas, they also expose persistent disparities and critical challenges”.

The event brought together key stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Ministry of Women Affairs; Civil Society Organisations; Education Networks; public secondary school teachers and students from eight public schools in Oyo State, reinforcing the collective commitment to advancing educational outcomes for girls.

”The key findings showed that Saki East Local Government Area stood out for its consistently high performance in local and national terminal exams (NECO and WASSCE) over the last three years.

In contrast, LGAs such as Ibarapa North, Iwajowa, Irepo, and Iseyin reported alarming low progression rates, with up to 90% of girls failing to achieve the required credits for advancement in some cases.

The specific factors underpinning Saki East’s success remain elusive, underscoring a need for further examination and tailored replication strategies for low-performing LGAs.