Oluwakemi Adelagun, a reporter on the Health and Development desk at PREMIUM TIMES, has been selected among 14 journalists across Nigeria to participate in a special reporting fellowship on gender-responsive and accountable education in Oyo State.
The initiative, launched by DevReporting in partnership with Education as a Vaccine (EVA) and supported by the Malala Fund, aims to strengthen media coverage of girls’ education, education financing, and citizen participation in the sector.
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According to a statement signed by DevReporting’s Programme Manager, Samson Ademola, the selected journalists were chosen from a pool of about 40 applicants.
Mr Ademola noted that the applicants submitted story pitches exploring transparency and accountability in education financing, gender-responsive planning and budgeting, barriers to girls’ education, and citizens’ role in education planning and monitoring.
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“This project focuses on investigating how funding, citizen participation, and gender policies contribute to learning outcomes and access to quality education, particularly for girls,” the statement noted.
The initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to promote girls’ enrolment, retention, and completion of secondary education in the state, where challenges around access and financing persist.
Selected journalists
Among those selected are Bilkis Abdulraheem of Radio Nigeria, Quadri Adejumo of Techparley Africa, Christiana Alabi-Akande of DevReporting, Funmi Ogundare of ThisDay, Oluseye Ojo of The Sun, Juliet Buna of Crest TV, Fatimah Hamid of Ripples Nigeria, Yomi Okanlawon of Business Metrics, and Gbenga Oyetola of Oyomind.
Others include Sodiq Mojibola of DevReporting, David Olatunji of Lagos Voice, Nchetachi Chukwuajah of The Radar, Adedokun Theophilus of African Angle, and PREMIUM TIMES’ Oluwakemi Adelagun.
Mr Ademola noted that several of the selected journalists are award-winning professionals with years of experience reporting on development issues for local and international media platforms.
Capacity building and story development
To support the delivery of impactful stories, DevReporting and EVA will hold a virtual briefing for the fellows to outline project objectives and reporting expectations.
Over a three-week period, the journalists will produce in-depth, evidence-based reports examining the challenges and opportunities in Oyo State’s education sector.
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DevReporting will provide editorial and logistical support during the reporting phase to ensure the publication of high-quality stories that can inform public discourse and policy.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr Ademola said the project reflects DevReporting’s commitment to using journalism as a driver of social accountability.
“The stories emerging from this project will serve as a tool to engage policymakers and other stakeholders in Oyo State on how to make education financing and planning more inclusive, equitable, and accountable.”
DevReporting is a niche media platform dedicated to development reporting, while Education as a Vaccine (EVA) is a youth-focused non-profit organisation promoting gender equality and access to quality education, with support from the Malala Fund.
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