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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) said it has built 51 new model Junior Secondary/Vocational Schools in the 17 states as part of efforts to reduce the menace of out-of-school children in the country.
The Commission further stated that the new structures was in addition to several others already constructed in 17 beneficiary states of the World Bank-supported Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) project in Nigeria.
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, inspected one of the schools, UBEC JSS/Vocational School (Government Secondary School) Suleja, Niger State, where he expressed satisfaction with the work done by the contractor.
He explained that BESDA is being implemented in 17 States across the country which includes the entire 13 States of the North West and North East geo-political zones, Niger, Oyo, Ebonyi and Rivers States.
He disclosed that each of the JSS/Vocational School is equipped with computer lab, laboratories, e-library, workshops and well furnished classrooms to give students good learning experience.
The UBEC boss charged the school management and the community to make good use of the facility, which he said was designed to ensure that graduates from Junior Secondary School have necessary skills that would help them in their future lives.
Bobboyi said: “I’m highly impressed by what I have seen, the work that was contracted out. We have come along with the school community to ensure that this project is delivered according to specification.
“We hope that it’s fully utilized by the school to ensure that our children have conducive environment to learn and acquire some skills that will help them in their future lives, especially this school being a Vocational Junior Secondary School.
“We have this facility in every Senatorial Zone in the 17 BESDA states. BESDA came to address a particular problem, the issue of out-of-school children. Out of the 17 BESDA states, you have one of this school in every Senatorial district like the one you have here in Suleja.”
He noted that UBEC is providing additional infrastructure that would help the state governments through the States Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) to ensure more children are enrolled in schools, as well as the functionality that is required for effective teaching and learning.
