TM Foundation Partners with Blessed Nursery & Primary School to Award Scholarships to 10 Pupils

In a heartwarming act of generosity, the TM Foundation has partnered with Blessed Nursery and Primary School, Lantoro, Abeokuta, to offer full tuition scholarships to ten pupils in Lantoro and its surrounding communities.

The gesture, initiated by the school’s management, is aimed at supporting less privileged children whose parents may struggle to afford quality education. Pupils residing in Ake, Isale Ake, Lantoro, Oke Lantoro, Abule Oloni, Isale Abetu, and neighboring areas will benefit from the initiative.

According to the school, while the beneficiaries will be responsible for their uniforms and books, their tuition fees will be completely covered under the name of the TM Foundation.

In a message addressed to the Foundation, the management of Blessed Nursery and Primary School explained that the offer was inspired after listening to a recent TM Foundation programme on Splash FM. The proprietor, who has personally extended similar support in the past, emphasized that the gesture was not for publicity but simply a way of contributing to the Foundation’s vision of empowering the less privileged through education.

Responding, TM Foundation expressed heartfelt appreciation for the remarkable partnership, describing it as a “truly inspiring” demonstration of compassion and shared commitment.

“Your generosity reflects a heart committed to making a lasting impact,” TM Foundation noted. “We deeply appreciate this partnership in touching young lives and giving them hope for a brighter future.”

Now in its fifth year of operation, Blessed Nursery and Primary School has grown to over 60 pupils, continuing to play a vital role in shaping young learners in the community. With this collaboration, ten more children will have the opportunity to access quality education and pursue a brighter future.

Lagos to Seal Dowen College Over Illegal Waste Dumping

Lagos State authorities have ordered the sealing of Dowen College, Lekki Phase 1, following allegations of improper waste disposal traced to the school.

Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the move on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the Corps Marshal of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps had been directed to enforce the order.

“This waste was traced to Dowen College in Lekki Phase 1. Such disregard for environmental laws is unacceptable,” Wahab said. “We will not hesitate to take firm action against any institution or organization that violates waste management regulations.”

The commissioner’s statement comes as part of the state’s intensified crackdown on environmental law violations.

Dowen College has previously faced scrutiny from the state government. In 2021, it was shut down indefinitely following the controversial death of student Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., pending investigation.

UBEC, NGF in Conjunction with NEWGLOBE Spotlight Kwara as Model for Tackling Out-of-School Crisis

-By Olufemi A. Adetola

As Nigeria grapples with the challenge of out-of-school children—estimated to be among the highest globally—recent interventions led by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) offer renewed hope. At the center of this momentum is Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, whose leadership as NGF Chairman is setting a new national tone on foundational education.

Penultimate week, the NGF in collaboration with UBEC and NEWGLOBE convened a multi-stakeholders dialogue in Abuja focusing on foundational learning and strategies to combat the out-of-school children crisis. Commissioners of Education and Chairpersons of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) were present to discuss reforms and implementation pathways. The gathering reaffirmed the need for stronger state-level ownership and collaborative policymaking.

Kwara State represented by the Hon Commissioner of Education, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe and the Executive Chairman of Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof Shehu Raheem Adaramaja presents a model of what focused leadership and fiscal discipline can achieve in basic education. According to their presentation, upon assumption of office as the Executive Governor of Kwara State , Mallam AbdulRahaman Abdulrazaq CON moved swiftly to pay backlogs of UBEC counterpart funding, allowing the state to access over ₦14.2 billion in federal matching grants for the years 2014-2019 . This intervention reversed Kwara’s prior blacklisting from UBEC funding and unlocked a cascade of basic education infrastructure projects across the state.

Through the Prof. Shehu Adaramaja-led Kwara SUBEB, over 600 schools have been renovated or newly constructed across the 16 local government areas. Classrooms have been furnished with pupils and teachers furniture, perimeter fences erected, boreholes sunk, Digital literacy centres established in 38 centres and WASH facilities provided across the 193 political wards of the state, with clear attention to equity and rural inclusion. These upgrades are impacting both teaching and learning environments in meaningful ways.

In addition to infrastructure, Kwara has tackled the human resource challenge head-on. Between 2021 and 2025, the state recruited over 6,400 new teaching and non-teaching staff, with an emphasis on STEM subjects. The recent recruitment exercise adopted community-based recruitment approach, where qualified NCE and Bachelor degrees in education from various communities were recruited to teach in their localities. All recruited staff signed performance bonds, demonstrating a commitment to accountability and diligence performance at duty.

Another bright spot is the KwaraLEARN programme—an ambitious education technology initiative that has digitized classroom management in over 1,770 public schools. With real-time monitoring, teacher coaching, and structured lesson plans, over 620,000 pupils now benefit from a more consistent and effective learning experience.

Mallam AbdulRahaman Abdulrazaq gave priority attention to teachers motivation and encouragements. He largely demonstrated this in prompt payment of salaries, promotion of teaching and non teaching staff of the State Basic Education Board, enhance capacity building with significant attention to technology education, modern pedagogical trainings, classrooms management techniques, foundational literacy and numeracy skills and other impactful workshops. Early results show gains in literacy and numeracy scores, attendance, and classroom engagement.

Kwara has also gone beyond the school walls. Earlier this year, a targeted enrollment drive brought over 2,300 out-of-school children into classrooms. These efforts were especially focused on nomadic communities, Qur’anic school pupils, street children, and underserved areas often missed in national data. Plans are also underway to build 75 new schools in remote areas to further reduce access barriers.

Perhaps the most telling endorsement of Kwara’s progress came in May 2025 when UBEC’s North-Central Director, Elder Abalaka described the state as “a pacesetter in compliance.” This reflects not just infrastructural output but the state’s commitment to due process, transparency, and strategic alignment with federal education goals.

Governor Abdulrazaq’s leadership at the NGF is crucial to replicating this progress nationwide. His advocacy for coordinated policies, timely funding, and inclusive education models is influencing how states approach their UBE responsibilities. The recent dialogue in Abuja underscored the need for such synergy.

As Nigeria intensifies efforts to implement a new national strategy on foundational learning, it is clear that the states must lead from the front. Kwara State’s success story shows that with the right blend of policy, leadership, and stakeholder engagement, progress is not just possible—it is sustainable.

The crisis of out-of-school children and weak foundational education has persisted for too long. But if more states follow the Kwara example under Governor Abdulrazaq’s NGF-backed leadership, the foundation of Nigeria’s future can be salvaged and secured.

In this regard, what is happening in Kwara should not just be applauded—it should be emulated. The real task now is to replicate such bold governance across every corner of the country.