Twenty months after commissioning, Osun Alternative High School for Girls remains inoperational

Twenty months after the Alternative High School for Girls in Osogbo, Osun State was inaugurated and handed over to the state government, the facility has yet to fully commence operations and currently operates on a skeletal basis.

The school was launched on April 23, 2024, and inaugurated on December 13, 2024, by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as part of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s efforts to provide educational opportunities for girls and women who had dropped out of formal education due to poverty, early marriage, and other social challenges.

The project was described as a second-chance opportunity for women and girls to acquire formal education and skills.

At the inauguration, Tinubu said the Osogbo school was one of six alternative high schools being established by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) across the country, with others located in Imo, Kwara, Lagos, Oyo, and Rivers states.

She also noted that 44 other alternative high schools had already been established, mainly in northern Nigeria. The facilities were intended to combine formal education with life skills, vocational training, and economic empowerment.

Tinubu, while handing over the facility to the Osun State Government, said the initiative was designed to ensure that no girl is left behind, stressing that education remained a powerful tool for transforming individuals and building the nation.

When a Nigerian NewsDirect correspondent visited the facility at Oke Dio, Ayepe, Osogbo, it was observed that the school management had started clearing the premises for the new academic session by cutting the bush in and out of the school fence.

Speaking with a resident in the area who identified himself as Komolafe, he said he was aware that the school would commence operations for the new academic session.

“A friend of my brother who is interested in working at the school as a security guard approached someone about the job. He was told to return on the 14th of this month, when the new academic session begins, as there may be an opportunity for him to work there,” he said.

The Osun State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Dipo Eluwole, attributed the delayed full operation of the alternative school in Osogbo to funding and staffing constraints, stating that it is currently operating on a skeletal basis.

Eluwole said the school had opened for academic activities but could not commence full operations because about 40 staff members are required to run the programme. He noted that although a proposal for the recruitment of the required personnel had been approved, funding remained a major challenge.

Eluwole linked the funding difficulty to the withholding of local government allocations, stating that the state government had been forced to seek alternative sources to meet salary and other statutory obligations across the local governments.

He maintained that the school requires specialised instructors for programmes including computer training, tailoring, fashion design, home economics, tie-dye, and weaving, adding that instructors from technical colleges were currently being mobilised to support the programme.

According to him, the latest report from the Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) indicated that only about 15 students had registered because of the shortage of staff and limited operations.

He, however, said the number could rise to more than 100 if the school becomes fully operational, noting that each vocational programme could attract more than 100 students.

“The state has been bringing instructors from technical colleges to support the programmes, but has been unable to commence full operations due to funding and staffing constraints.”

“To be candid, the Federal Government has withheld local government allocations for almost two years now. Statutorily, local government allocations are used to pay the salaries and other entitlements of primary and secondary school teachers, as well as allowances and pensions.”

“The money has not been forthcoming, so the state government has been looking for alternative sources of funding to ensure that teachers and other workers are paid.”

“The local government allocation also covers the salaries of local government staff, primary healthcare workers, drugs for hospitals, and the statutory allocation for traditional rulers, among other obligations.”

“Despite the withholding of the allocation, the state government has continued to make these payments as and when due. This means the government has had to look for other sources of funding, and the withholding of the allocation has affected our ability to make the school fully operational.”

“We have made a proposal, and it has been approved, but there is no money to back it up at the moment. At least 40 people need to be working at the school, which is why it is currently operating on a skeletal basis.”

“We have made a proposal for 40 staff members. The instructors are there, but this is a skills-based school, so the teachers must have the specific skills required for the programmes being offered.”

“For example, we have computer training, tailoring, and fashion design, as well as home economics. The facilities are already there, so we need instructors who are trained in those particular fields. That is why we are currently bringing instructors from technical colleges. But we cannot empty the technical colleges.”

“The full operation of the school depends on the release of the withheld local government allocation by the Federal Government.”

“By and large, the last report I received from SUBEB was that, because the school has not fully commenced due to the shortage of staff, about 15 students or thereabouts have registered.”

“If the school were fully operational now, we would probably have more than 100 students because there are many people who are interested in learning through the programme.”

“We have also included additional vocational skills that are relevant to our environment, such as tie-dye and weaving. We included these programmes because we were mandated to examine the needs of our communities and identify skills that are relevant and in demand.”

“Each of these vocational programmes can have more than 100 students. Even married women can attend with their children. There is a crèche where they can keep their children while attending classes. The workers in the crèche will also be part of the staff to be employed. It is not only instructors that are needed. There will be a head of the school, gatekeepers, security personnel for day and night shifts, cleaners, teachers, and other workers.”

“What we are planning, with time, is to ensure that the government provides accommodation at the school for people who are not within Osogbo. We have surveyed the area and assessed the facilities,” Eluwole said.