From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) announced on Tuesday that it will soon introduce a new template to streamline the disbursement and access to Federal Government counterpart funding for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.
The initiative aims to address challenges that have left billions of Naira in intervention funds unaccessed by state governments.
UBEC Executive Secretary Aisha Garba revealed this during an interactive workshop in Abuja with chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and desk officers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The workshop focused on validating new templates for preparing work plans to access UBE Intervention Funds.
Garba explained that the new template, currently under review, will eliminate barriers hindering states’ access to funds. She highlighted that UBEC has realigned basic education delivery around four strategic pillars to enhance access and quality: expanding access for rural and underserved populations, improving teaching and learning quality, strengthening financial accountability, and optimising monitoring systems for better service delivery.
“The pillars are expanding access to UBE, especially for rural and underserved population; enhancing quality of teaching and learning nationwide; strengthening accountability and effective use of basic education finances; and optimising monitoring and institutional systems for quality service delivery,” she said.
The Hope Education Project, a federal performance reward initiative, incentivises states that effectively utilise education resources in line with these pillars. Garba noted that the new templates will align SUBEB work plans with these goals and the New Hope Projects.
Deputy Executive Secretary (General Services), Tunde Ajibulu, emphasised the workshop’s timeliness, urging participants to contribute to developing effective templates. “This interactive workshop on the new templates is timely, and we expect you as the implementers of basic education in your various states to contribute positively and come up with workable templates,” he said.