IN a bid to tackle the rising cases of out-of-school children in Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, Street2School Initiative has moved in to support the education of out-of-school children and primary school drop-outs in the Ikola community, in the Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA of Alimosho LGA
According to media reports, the foundation is doing so through its annual education sponsorship scheme and the establishment of a tuition-free school, among other necessities at Comenius Nursery and Primary School, Ikola. At the school, the beneficiaries who are mainly indigent children, are provided with basic learning materials and free meals.
Street2School Initiative is poised to address the barriers to education faced by low-income families and children living in rural areas and in the urban slums of Lagos. Those who are out of school due to financial constraints, broken homes, poverty and orphans left in the street during school hours stand to benefit from the gesture.
The Founder/Executive Director of the Street2School initiative, Mrs Oluwatosin Olowoyeye-Taiwo, said that having discovered that there was no government primary or secondary school in the area, she decided to act quickly to curb the increasing number of out-of-school kids, particularly those whose parents cannot afford private schools.
In her words: “The plight created a basic education gap for kids living in that locality and gave the room for them to roam about the streets, while some others assist their parents in the market, selling pepper or other items when their mates are in school.
“I was in the market and I met a boy, Jamiu Mohammed, from northern Nigeria, and I interacted with him. Amazingly, I discovered he was very bright but had financial constraints. He wants to be an astronaut. Today, he is a beneficiary of the initiative.
“Many kids in the Hausa community-based at the Power line area in this locality want to benefit from the free education. The parents want their children to partake and we have accepted some of them because I have limited space. Once some of them leave we would accommodate a new set. But if we get sponsors, those waiting can be enrolled in another school. Most families cannot afford private schools around. The children are encouraged to study due to the school meals.
“These children are out of school sometimes because of health issues, such as malnutrition. Initially, we made donations to schools and enrolled the children but we later started a primary school to ensure basic education and accommodate more children. After an assessment, we provide bags, books, uniforms, notebooks and other writing materials just to make learning exciting and fun-filled for them.”
Speaking of the challenges faced by her organisation, Oluwatosin who says her school has graduated over 160 street kids also added that they sometimes get sponsors who donate some of these items to enable the children to have unhindered access to education.
“We have graduated over 160 street kids in this rural community whereby the academic progress of these children has become a source of inspiration to do more. Despite various interventions and programmes by the state governments, there are still children that roam the streets during school hours.
“Most of our pupils presently are children of widows and single mothers who are not really buoyant enough; they are people that are really struggling. Those are the parameters we use in admitting pupils here. And we also have some people that walk in to meet us when they hear about what we do in the school.
“We are in a rented facility and the kids are about 200 because 35 of them would be in secondary school by the next session and there would be more kids joining the school. Space is a challenge for us. Last term, for the 12 weeks, the children were fed by Cuppy Foundation and it was a great relief for us. Children need nutrition during their early school years and is crucial for their physical, mental and psychosocial development,” she said.
Olowoyeye-Taiwo said though the government needs to do the needful, education should be taken beyond the sole responsibility of the government. The campaigners also donated food items to the women of the Ikola community apart from the health sensitization they held.
The Sun
