Kwara State Launches Major School Renovation Project for 898 Institutions

The Kwara State Government has commenced a large-scale infrastructure upgrade of public secondary schools under the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project.

Announcing the move in Ilorin on Tuesday, the government confirmed plans to renovate no fewer than 898 schools as part of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s broader education reform agenda.

Implementation and Funding Strategy

To ensure effective project delivery, the state is mobilizing School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to oversee the renovations.

• Initial Rollout: Technical Service Providers have been deployed to 111 pilot schools.

• Financial Commitment: 50% of the total contract sum has already been released to initiate construction.

• Grant Categories: The pilot phase is divided into “small grants” (covering 56.7% of schools) and “medium grants” (covering 43.2% of schools).

Regional Breakdown of the First Phase

The initial phase of the project targets 111 schools across specific local government areas to establish a standard for the statewide rollout:

• Ilorin West: 25 schools

• Asa: 24 schools

• Ilorin East & Ilorin South: 18 schools each

• Oyun: 16 schools

• Offa: 10 schools

Core Objectives

The Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, emphasized that the project is designed to transform learning environments and improve educational outcomes, particularly for adolescent girls.

This phase will serve as a critical benchmark, with the government promising to include more schools in subsequent stages of the AGILE initiative.