Parents under the aegis of Agege Parents Forum in Lagos State have raised concerns over the huge number of out-of-school children in the community, calling on the government to establish more technical schools to engage youths who are unable to continue conventional education.
The appeal was made on Tuesday during the Annual General Meeting of the Agege Parents Forum held at the Agege Stadium.
The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 18.3 million Nigerian children are out of school, comprising 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary level.
Speaking at the event, the Zonal Secretary of the forum, Mrs Oluwatoyin Ike, lamented that many children roam the streets after completing their Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination due to limited educational and vocational opportunities.
According to her, the situation has contributed to increasing cases of idle youths in the community.
“The pressing need now is for the government to help children who are still roaming about under the bridge. They are leaders of tomorrow,” she said.
Ike urged the Lagos State government, as well as its federal and state lawmakers, to establish technical schools within Agege and neighbouring communities to provide alternatives for students who may not excel academically.
“We need a technical school in Agege. The ones available are far away at Ikotun and Ogba. Transport fare alone discourages many parents.
“When a child gets to JSS3 and is struggling academically, such a child should have the option of attending a technical school to learn a skill instead of dropping out,” she added.
She noted that vocational training could help curb youth unemployment and reduce social vices, citing the example of her brother, who attended a technical school and later secured employment.
The parents also decried inadequate infrastructure in public schools, particularly shortages of seats and learning facilities, saying parents should not bear the burden alone.
“Some parents complain about the lack of seats in schools. It is challenging to rely on parents to provide those amenities. Government should assist schools with infrastructure,” Ike said.
She, however, commended the lawmaker representing Agege II State Constituency, Jubreel Abdulkareem, for supporting education initiatives in the area.
According to her, the lawmaker had sponsored free Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board registration forms for students over the past four years.
“About four years ago, our statistics showed that many children roamed about after SSCE. We approached him to assist with JAMB enrolment for students.
“We started with 100 students in the first year, and about 60 gained university admission. Since then, he has continued to increase support yearly,” she said.
Ike added that over 1,700 students had benefited from the free JAMB registration initiative, while nearly 6,000 students had benefited from various educational interventions.
She disclosed that the forum, in collaboration with the lawmaker, recently organised vocational training in solar and CCTV installation for about 350 students and youths within the community.
“Some of them are now equipped with skills and are no longer roaming about,” she said.
The parents’ leader also called on schools to ensure fairness in the distribution of scholarships and educational support.
“There should be no favouritism or discrimination when scholarships are given. Everything about education should be done fairly and generally for all children,” she said.
Also speaking, Aminat Quadri from Isale-Oja in Agege Local Government Area said many parents appreciated the interventions because they had reduced the financial burden on families.
“I benefited from free education in the past, so I understand how important these interventions are for children and parents,” she said.
Another parent, Adeleye Oluwaseyi of Eko Junior School, said the lawmaker had also promised to support schools with improved infrastructure and a more conducive learning environment.
