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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has tasked Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to take advantage of the recent declaration of financial autonomy for Local Government Areas (LGAs) to develop and improve on basic education system.
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, made the appeal, in Abuja, yesterday, at the training and sensitisation workshop for Education Secretaries in the 774 LGAs in Nigeria, beginning with the ones from the North Central.
UBEC boss said that ideally, basic education is the responsibility of the LGAs, and with the recent decision of the Supreme Court that secured their financial autonomy, the basic education system should enjoy additional funding and attention.
He said: “It is my expectation that, with the recent autonomy granted to LGAs in Nigeria, more responsibilities would be devolved to them with the possible direct disbursement of primary education funds through the LEAs.
“We are, therefore, taking advantage of this training to draw your attention to the dos and don’ts in managing the UBE’s intervention funds. You should remember that the strength of our educational system, and indeed, the development of the nation at large, rests on the quality of primary education.
“Your role in basic education implementation is too crucial to be taken for granted. So, pay adequate attention to the training and ask relevant questions and seek explanations on what you do not understand.”
Director, Teacher Development, UBEC, Mr. Aleshin Olumuyiwa, in his remarks, said: “Over the years, the monitoring reports of the Teacher Development Programmes (TDP) have identified anomalies in the conduct of training, which include sending wrong people for training, transferring teachers who have been trained to other schools shortly after training.
“These trained teachers are supposed to stay for a minimum of two years in their schools to give them the opportunity to share knowledge and skills gained with their colleagues in the schools from where they were selected for training.
“This training is, therefore, to draw your attention to what is expected of you as Education Secretaries, especially as some of you were recently appointed to the present position.”
He reminded them that they were the closest to the schools which appear to be the end receivers of the services of the Commission. “Your role of ensuring effective implementation of the UBE programme cannot be underestimated,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad, appreciated the efforts of the LEAs in promoting basic education which she described as the foundation of learning, and challenged the participants to double their efforts for improved outcomes. She observed that at the primary education level, Nigeria is facing two major challenges in education delivery. “While we are grappling with the challenge of the large number of out-of-school children, there is also the problem of those in school who are not learning.
