Traditional Rulers Hold Meeting on Truancy Prevention in Schools.
How to prevent truancy and reduce the number of out of school children dominated the agenda of a meeting by Traditional Rulers on May 15, held at the Palace of Eburu of Ibaland, Osun state.
The meeting was organised by Ooni Ojaja Program for Traditional Rulers Intervention on Truancy Prevention, School Enrolment and Engagement.
The Director General of the Program
His Royal Majesty, Professor Adekunle Adeogun- Okunoye OyObaedeji 11, Eburu of Ibaland, Professor of Business Analytics and Information Systems at Williams College of Business,Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio , USA, who hosted the Monarchs said in his welcome address that the major task before the Traditional Rulers is truancy prevention, school enrolment and engagement.
He asked the Traditional Rulers to identify the problems in their domains and ensure that a child that is of school age is not just in school but remains there during school hours.
” It is not enough to get students to school. They need to have the support to stay in school and be engaged in learning.”said Eburu of Ibaland who is also the Pro – Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Atiba University, Oyo.Oyo State.
The Traditional Rulers gave progress report from their communities . Further discussions were held on strategies for the success of the program which include awareness and advocacy at state levels.
Ooni Ojaja Program for Traditional Rulers Intervention on Truancy Prevention, School Enrolment and Engagement was inaugurated on 16th of October 2024 at the Palace of Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II.
The Program aims to reduce the incidence of truancy, perpetual late coming and drop out among the school aged children in all Yoruba Speaking states including Kogi and Kwara.
The Program is
collaborating with Schools, parents and the communities to identify and address the root causes of truancy , late coming and dropout by providing supportive intervention and resources to ensure that every child has opportunity to succeed .
By addressing these issues the Program aims to reduce the number of out of school children, improve academic performance, curb insecurity and increase the chances of successful transition into higher institutions and the workforce.
The Program harnesses the influence and authority of Traditional Rulers to address the issues because they are uniquely positioned to make positive impact on their communities due to their proximity and culture understanding.
The Traditional Rulers are therefore the Coordinators of the Program at State, Zone and Local government levels.
However at the local government level, two Royal Queens were made Coordinators.
One of them is Olori Janet Afolabi, CNN award winning journalist and Queen of Apomu Kingdom, who also attended the meeting.
She is the Coordinator for Isokan local government area of Osun State.
