Parents protest growing number of out‑of‑school children in a Lagoscommunity

Members of the Agege Parents Forum in Lagos State have voiced alarm over the large number of out‑of‑school children in their area, urging the government to create additional technical schools to engage youths who cannot continue with mainstream education.

The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 18.3 million Nigerian children are out of school, including 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary level.

The appeal was delivered on Tuesday during the Annual General Meeting of the Agege Parents Forum held at Agege Stadium.

The meeting also included a declaration of support for the second‑term ambition of the Agege II State Constituency representative, Jubreel Abdulkareem.

Speaking at the event, the forum’s Zonal Secretary, Oluwatoyin Ike, lamented that many children wander the streets after completing their Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination because of limited educational and vocational options.

She said this situation has contributed to a rise in idle youths within 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 called on the Lagos State Government, as well as federal and state legislators, to set up technical schools in Agege and surrounding neighbourhoods 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 her brother’s experience of attending a technical school and later securing employment.

The parents also criticised inadequate infrastructure in public schools, especially shortages of seats and learning facilities, arguing that parents should not bear this 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, praised the lawmaker representing Agege II State Constituency, Jubreel Abdulkareem, for his support of 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 more than 1,700 students had benefited from the free JAMB registration programme, while nearly 6,000 students had received 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 other 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 pledged to support schools with improved infrastructure and a more conducive learning environment.