Kwara State Government has introduced a new education incentive aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children, especially girls, across the state.
The initiative, launched under the World Bank-assisted Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project, will provide parents with N130,000 for enrolling and keeping their daughters in school.
Speaking during the second day of the third-quarter inter-ministerial press briefing held on Wednesday in Ilorin, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, revealed that more than 37,000 girls have already been captured to benefit from the programme.
“No girl in Kwara State will receive less than N130,000 to go to school. We have paid our counterpart funds, and the disbursement will begin soon,” the commissioner stated.
He explained that the AGILE project is part of the government’s wider effort to improve access to quality education and empower young girls to reach their full potential.
Dr Olohungbebe also announced that the government has cancelled Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) fees across all public schools, describing the move as a deliberate measure to remove financial barriers that discourage parents from sending their children to school.
According to him, the state has also introduced a second-chance education programme aimed at older youths who missed previous opportunities to complete their schooling.
The commissioner reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030.