News Investigators/ The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has facilitated the mobilisation of more than N100 billion in previously unaccessed matching grants by states and the FCT to upgrade basic education infrastructure nationwide.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, disclosed this on Thursday at a media luncheon with education correspondents in Abuja.
Mrs Garba said the funds, which had previously remained unaccessed, were now being deployed to improve learning environments and strengthen basic education delivery across the country.
She said UBEC’s partnership with State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) had led to the construction of more than 4,600 classrooms.
The partnership also facilitated the renovation of over 6,100 classrooms, provision of 2,780 toilets and 678 boreholes across schools nationwide.
Mrs Garba added that more than 334,000 pieces of school furniture had been supplied to improve learning conditions.
She said UBEC had supported the establishment of more than 2,300 Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) centres.
According to her, the centres were designed to provide young children with a stronger foundation for learning and development.
Mrs Garba said the commission invested more than N20.4 billion in teacher professional development programmes to improve classroom practice and school leadership.
She said the programmes also promoted accountability through the Effective Schools Programme and strengthened School-Based Management Committees.
The UBEC boss said the commission was expanding Digital Literacy Centres, strengthening Smart Schools and promoting Artificial Intelligence, coding and robotics.
She said the initiatives would equip learners with skills required in an increasingly technology-driven world.
Mrs Garba disclosed that more than 7.8 million instructional materials had been distributed to schools nationwide to support literacy, numeracy and foundational learning.
She described the media as a critical partner in promoting transparency, accountability and public awareness of education sector developments.
“As we continue this journey, we count on the media as trusted partners. We look forward to regular engagement through media briefings, project visits and success stories that showcase both our achievements and the work that still lies ahead,” she said.
Mrs Garba said balanced, factual and constructive reporting would strengthen public confidence and encourage greater stakeholder participation in education.
She reaffirmed UBEC’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child had access to safe, inclusive, equitable and quality basic education.
Speaking on funding, Mrs Garba said Nigeria’s 40 million basic education pupils and millions of out-of-school children required increased investment.
She urged states to increase education allocations beyond the proposed five per cent intervention funding.
The executive secretary explained that UBEC complemented state funding by addressing critical gaps in basic education delivery.
She said 50 per cent of UBEC intervention funds were allocated to states for infrastructure improvement, school maintenance and improved service delivery.
Mrs Garba encouraged states to adopt direct school financing models to empower administrators to address minor repairs and essential needs.
She also called for stronger collaboration among governments, communities and schools to improve enrolment, maintenance and learning outcomes.
Earlier, FCT Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Grace Ike, commended UBEC for establishing a communications department.
Mrs Ike said the commission’s engagement with journalists was a demonstration of transparency and partnership.
She urged UBEC to institutionalise periodic media briefings, organise capacity-building programmes and facilitate project visits for education correspondents.
She also called for support for investigative education reporting to improve public understanding of sector interventions.
Also, Chairman of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN), Chuks Ukwatu, appreciated UBEC for hosting its first direct engagement with education correspondents.
He appealed for greater inclusion of journalists in field trips and project inspections outside Abuja.
Mr Ukwatu said such engagements would enable education correspondents to provide more accurate reports on basic education interventions nationwide.
NAN
