From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives have confirmed that legislative work is ongoing on the plans to increase Consolidated Revenue allocation to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to four per cent from hitherto two per cent.
Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Bako Useni, stated this during the Committee’s oversight function at the Digital Resource Center built by UBEC in Abuja, for the training of teachers on digital education in Nigeria.
He specifically confirmed that a bill for the amendment of UBEC Act which will give legal backing to the plan has passed the second reading in the House Representatives.
Bako said that 10th National Assembly saw the need to increase financial resources to the basic education sub-sector for set objectives to be further met, hence the amendment bill sponsored by Honourable Muktar Shagaya, to increase revenue accruing to UBEC from two per cent to four per cent.
He said: “The amendment bill which has passed the second reading will make UBEC stronger. Since UBEC was established in 2004 to date, a lot has been achieved. However, the House felt that if UBEC is motivated with more funding, it will go a long way in achieving more of what it has achieved.
“It was on this basis that one of us, Honourable Mukhtar Shagaya, proposed an amendment to the UBEC Act, to increase its allocation from the Consolidated Revenue Account to four per cent.”
He said the Committee was happy with the digital resource center built by the UBEC, as it has always been its desire to ensure that newer dimensions are introduced to the basic education sector in Nigeria.
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hameed Bobboyi, in his remarks, explained that the Centre was an effort to move digital education to the next level, stressing that it was gladdening to have taken the House Committee Members on a tour of the facility which includes; the digital Museum, Library, Artificial Intelligence Center, Studio, Micro-labs, lecture halls, accommodation among others.
“The facility will ensure that our teachers are trained on the new pedagogy. We have brought in many teachers, school administrators, and quality assurance officers, for refresher trainings,” he said.
He further disclosed that the digital resource centre will coordinate the Smart Schools spread across the country to aid digital learning, adding that it will also be used to reshape those in the senior/management cadre of the basic education sub-sector.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Digital Resource Centre, Prof. Bashir Galandanci, in his remarks, said the Digital Resource Center is part of the effort of the commission to transform the agency into a digital era.