Int'l Day of Education: Foundation, School Seek Improved Education as 30 Children Return To School
- The Afiz Olajiri Foundation returned 30 out-of-school children to LEA Primary School, Gosa Sarki, Abuja, providing full educational support, including uniforms, shoes, school bags, textbooks, exercise books and tuition fees
- Founder Afeez Olajire said the initiative targeted vulnerable children and emphasised that education is access, not privilege
- Head Teacher Nabila Salihu Maigari praised the intervention as life-changing and called on the government to collaborate with NGOs to expand support
FCT, Abuja - No fewer than 30 out-of-school children have been returned to the classroom at LEA Primary School, Gosa Sarki, Abuja, following an intervention by the Afiz Olajiri Foundation in collaboration with the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
The initiative, which targets children from low-income and hard-to-reach communities, provided full educational support, including school uniforms, footwear, bags, textbooks, exercise books and payment of tuition fees.
Source: Original
Afeez: Education is access, not privilege
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, the founder of the Afiz Olajiri Foundation, Afeez Olajire, said the intervention was driven by a lifelong commitment to expanding access to education for vulnerable children.
“Impact is not measured by the position you hold or political power. I have no political ambition.
“What separates many children from success is simply access to education, and that access is often blocked by funding," Olajire said.
He explained that the 30 beneficiaries were carefully selected by the PTA based on good conduct and parents’ willingness to return their children to school.
“For today, we are bringing 30 children back to school. Their fees have been paid, they have school bags, uniforms, shoes, textbooks and full-time scholarships to the end of their education in this school,” he said.
Scholarships tied to discipline and attendance
Olajire added that the foundation had also committed to sponsoring the pupils beyond primary school, provided they maintained good conduct and regular attendance.
“Every child who comes to school regularly and behaves well will be sponsored throughout their education and beyond. Sometimes, what looks small to one person is all a child needs to leave the streets and return to school,” he noted.
He said Gosa Sarki was deliberately chosen as a vulnerable community where many parents were willing to educate their children but lacked financial capacity.
Head teacher praises intervention, seeks govt collaboration
Also speaking, the Head Teacher of LEA Primary School, Gosa Sarki, Mrs Nabila Salihu Maigari, described the intervention as timely and life-changing for the affected children.
“These children are not even from within this community. Some of them come from villages where you have to cross a river to reach the school,” she said.
Source: Original
According to her, over 180 children were out of school in Maweya village alone due to financial constraints.
“When we heard about the Afiz Olajiri Foundation, we immediately went to the village, met the chief and mobilised the parents. To God be the glory, today we are here,” Maigari said.
Call for government support to NGOs
Maigari called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration and other relevant authorities to collaborate more closely with credible non-governmental organisations supporting education.
“We are appealing to the government to assist NGOs that are genuinely helping in education. With collaboration, they will be able to do more, not just for this community but for the country at large,” she said.
Foundation outlines broader humanitarian focus
Beyond education, Olajire said the foundation was also involved in water access projects, skills acquisition and vocational training, including sponsoring youths to culinary schools.
“When people lack education, skills or clean water, they are just one step away from crisis. What we are doing is bridging that gap and giving people access to opportunity,” he said.
He added that similar interventions were ongoing in Abeokuta, Lagos and Ibadan, stressing that the foundation’s work was purely humanitarian and non-political.
Alausa praised for improving Nigeria's education sector
Previously, Legit.ng reported that educational stakeholders have commended Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, for steering Nigeria’s education sector through a period of transformative reform.
Speaking in a statement cited by Legit.ng on Friday, January 22, the educational experts said, “the Ministry’s initiatives under Dr Alausa are setting a new standard. Technical education, cost reduction, and university reforms are already yielding tangible results for students, parents and educators alike.”
Source: Legit.ng
