Follow Us on Google
•Sanwo-Olu, Daniel back move to amend Act
By Gabriel Dike and Victory Milton
Worried by the challenges facing basic education in the country, stakeholders, including the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) and chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), recently gathered in Lagos to find solutions to the numerous problems associated with the 2004 Act.
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) hosted a two-day retreat for members of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) to identify the issues and challenges hindering the smooth implementation of basic education in the country.
The retreat had the theme “Basic Education Implementation in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges and Way Forward.” The event attracted the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and secondary), Senator Lawal Usman, and his committee members, former governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel, Secretary to Lagos State Government, Barrister Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Education Research Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Ismail Junaidu, Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi and his management team, 36 chairmen of SUBEB, Coordinator, UBEC Digital Resource Centre, Prof. Bashiru Galadachi and the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Bauchi State, Barrister Hassan El-Yakub.
In his address, UBEC boss, Dr. Bobboyi, said the outcome of the deliberations would be in the overall interest of basic education in particular and education sector in general.
Bobboyi observed that the commission has established a traditional of harvesting ideas from different categories of basic education stakeholders, whose partnership UBEC hold very dearly.
He revealed that the commission hosted a similar retreat for House Committee on Basic Education and Services in March 2024.
According to him, reasons for the interactions is to bring to the knowledge of its partners what they need to know about UBEC programme, stating, “where we are in its implementation, the challenges and anticipate the discussion of these issues with them would engender support and cooperation.”
Bobboyi said the commission presentation would cover the status of basic education in Nigeria and its implementation challenges, UBEC programmes and initiatives, UBE funding mechanism, UBEC Smart Education Programme, learner assessment in basic education and the perspective of SUBEB on UBE implementation.
He disclosed that the commission would share with the committee aspects of UBEC Acts, 2004 and other related matters, which constitute an encumbrance to the smooth implementation of the UBE programme.
His words: “Having been enacted in 2004, twenty years ago, and given the developments and changes that have taken place in the country since then, he noted that the Act is long overdue for a review.
“Our education should respond to the needs and aspirations of our country and there is no better way to do this than being abreast of local and global developments.”
The Secretary to Lagos State Governor, Barrister Salu-Hundeyin described the theme of the retreat as apt and relevant at this time in the country based on the current state of basic education.
Salu-Hundeyin, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, declared the 2-day retreat opened and charged participants to identify the problems as well as hurdles in the implementation of basic education and proposed ways to improve the situation.
The governor stressed that the retreat presents a crucial opportunity to bring together the senate committee on basic and secondary education in conjunction with UBEC, the body tasked with overseeing basic education implementation.
He argued that the retreat would provide the opportunity to engage in open discussions on the issues and challenges faced in basic education.
“This retreat provides us with opportunity to strategize on how to mobilize resources, enhance infrastructural development, and ensure that every child learns in a safe and supportive environment,” he noted.
Chairman of the retreat and former Ogun State Governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel supported the call to review the 20 years UBEC Act and hoped that at the end of the retreat, basic education would not be the same.
Daniel identified issues hindering basic education in the country to include access by many children, quality of teaching, inadequate funding, disparity between boys and girls as well as the physically challenged kids and urged the senate committee on basic and secondary education to help in this area.
The former governor advocated for an increased funding, review of UBEC Act, decentralization schools, called for curriculum review, infrastructural development, access to technology and internet facilities, training and retraining of teachers and monitoring of schools by the appropriate agencies.
In his remarks, Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Senator Usman, described education, as the bedrock of any nation and that the sector should be accorded top priority.
Usman said the retreat shows how important basic education is to the country, noting, “we will chart a new path to ensure basic education is provided for all Nigerian children.”
The lawmaker commended UBEC for promoting basic education in the country and assured the commission of its support.
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Ismail Junaidu urged the National Assembly to improve on the funding of basic education to address the numerous challenges.
Prof. Junaidu described the speech of former Ogun governor as a working document for the retreat. He lauded the senate committee on basic education move to address issues and challenges facing basic education in the country.
