The Kwara State Government has officially launched its Policy on Gender in Education under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project to foster equal educational access for all students, regardless of gender.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Ilorin on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, noted that the initiative demonstrates the administration's collective resolve to establish a learning ecosystem where every child can enrol, participate, and excel.

Olohungbebe, who was represented by the ministry's Permanent Secretary, Mrs Banke Olanrewaju, revealed that the state government has remitted its N150 million counterpart funding to guarantee the smooth execution of the project.

He explained that the newly introduced framework and implementation guidelines would offer strategic direction toward dismantling gender-based obstacles in schools while fortifying systems required to ensure inclusive, secure, and conducive educational environments statewide.

The commissioner emphasized that the policy's ultimate success hinges on the joint commitment of key actors to its practical execution, urging all stakeholders to take ownership and turn its provisions into concrete results.

He stated, "As we officially unveil this Document, let us renew our commitment to ensuring that gender does not become a barrier to access, participation, retention, or achievement in education."

In his remarks, the Deputy Project Coordinator of Kwara AGILE and System Strengthening Sub-component Lead, Lawal Hamza Adisa, highlighted that the initiative was created to tackle persistent societal issues, including teenage pregnancies, child marriages, and escalating dropout statistics among adolescent girls.

He noted that school enrolment among female adolescents aged 10 to 20 was previously low, coinciding with an adolescent fertility rate exceeding 70 percent, though AGILE's targeted interventions have since reversed the trend.

Adisa added that the state domesticated the national policy to sustain the progress made under AGILE and guarantee that girls successfully complete their secondary education alongside their male counterparts.

The Kwara AGILE Project Coordinator, Adeshina Salami, affirmed that the policy is designed to reinforce female education and will be enforced across both public and private schools in Kwara State.

Salami disclosed that approximately 32,000 adolescent girls in the state have each received N40,000 via conditional cash transfers under the project, while over 1,400 participants have completed digital skills training.

The event was attended by representatives from the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Association of Model Islamic Schools (AMIS), ANCOPSS, AOPSHON, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), alongside students and other educational stakeholders.