By Adeyinka Adeniran
Oyo State has maintained high female enrollment in both the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO SSCE) with roughly equal participation by girls and boys across public schools.
Additionally, for the third year in a row, Saki East local government area is having consistently high performance in examinations while LGAs such as Ibarapa North, Iwajowa, Irepo, and Iseyin reported low progression rates, with up to 90 percent of girls failing to achieve the necessary credits for advancement in some cases.
The reports form parts of findings of the Volume II report of the State of Girl Child Education (SoGE) in Oyo State launched by a non governmental organization, Onelife Initiatives.
Funded by Malala Funds, the report which was launched at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of educational equity for girls in the state by bringing together key stakeholders, who provided a comprehensive analysis of the current state of girl child education in the state.
The stakeholders included representatives from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Women Affairs, civil society organisations, education networks, and students from eight public schools in the state
Presenting the report, the Executive Director of Onelife Initiative, Sola Fagorusi, expressed concern over the findings, stating that the drivers of high performance in Saki East Local Government Area of the state remained unclear and are not easily replicable in other areas where girls are consistently underperforming.
He emphasised the importance of using the report to inform decisions that would lead to impactful interventions for the growing population of girls in the state’s secondary schools and beyond.
According to him, the findings of the report did not only celebrate progress, but also highlighted ongoing challenges, serving as an essential guide for future interventions aimed at empowering girls and fostering their academic success.
He said, “The academic cycles of 2023 and 2024 reveal a complex and growing landscape for the girt child education in public secondary schools across Oyo State. Progress is evident in many districts, but persistent disparities highlight the urgent need for targeted intervention.
“Our findings in this Vol. II revealed that Oyo State maintained high female enrollment in both the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO SSCE) with roughly equal participation by girls and boys across public schools.
“For the 2024 NECO SSCE, 13,202 girls sat for the public exam, compared to 11,351 in 2023, demonstrating both population growth and increased school retention. The pass rate for girls (minimum five credits including English and Mathematics) improved slightly from 52.2% (2023) to 54.8% (2024) in NECO SSCE.
“The gender gap is narrowing, boys saw a pass rate of 56.5% in 2024, compared to 54.8% for girls, thus down from a 6% gap in 2023. In some LGAs, girls matched or even outperformed boys. Standout performances for girts are still rare.
“Saki East led with a 62.6% pass rate among females, while the majority of LGAs recorded pass rates under 40% for girls. In the worst-performing LGAS, notably Ibarapa North, Ibarapa East, Afijio, Iseyin, and Irepo less than 2% of female candidates passed. Some rural LGAs sadly saw zero girts meet the benchmark.
“Of note is the consistent colourful performance by Saki East Local Government in WASSCE and NECO SSCE over a 5-year period. What is however worrisome is that the drivers of these performances are not clear and duplicable in underperforming Local Government Areas like Ibarapa North, Iwajowa, Irepo, Iseyin and others where more than half and sometimes up to 9 in 10 girls failed to obtain the required credits for progression.
“Several schools in these areas reported no girls passing at all. It is not surprising that urban and relatively resource-rich LGAs displayed far better outcomes for girls. However, select rural locations (notably Saki East) demonstrated otherwise. The “urban advantage remains clear, but it is not absolute, focused interventions can and do deliver strong results even in rural spaces.”
In his goodwill message, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Segun Olayiwola, who was represented by the Local Inspector of Education, Ibadan North, Mr. Kayode Okesade, praised Onelife Initiative’s efforts and reiterated the state’s commitment to girl child welfare through initiatives like Menstrual Hygiene Day and the Day of the Girl Child.
On her part, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun, represented by the Deputy Director of Child Welfare, Bola Dada, highlighted the importance of the Ministry’s Back to School Programme, which she said, aimed to re-enroll girls who have dropped out across all 33 LGAs.
