UBEC renews commitment to tackle out of school children

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has expressed concern over the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria’s basic education system and has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing the issue.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, made this known on Thursday at the opening of a two-day Management Retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

The retreat has the theme, “Repositioning UBEC for Sustainable Basic Education Delivery in Nigeria.”

Garba identified delays by states in accessing funds for education infrastructure and teaching development as a major contributor to the challenge.

She noted that while there had been notable gains in enrollment, access to quality basic education remained a critical area in need of urgent attention.

“States have over the years experienced delays in accessing grant funds disbursed at the national level.

“This retreat is essential to address those discrepancies and other systemic challenges confronting basic education in the country,” she said.

She explained that the retreat, focused on internal planning, was designed to enable UBEC management staff align their strategies with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“Our goal is to ensure UBEC is repositioned to significantly contribute to delivering universal basic education to every Nigerian child, regardless of background or geographical location,” she added.

Garba acknowledged that UBEC had made significant strides in promoting and developing the basic education system, but emphasised that much work remained to be done.

“Particularly in upgrading infrastructure and improving the quality of teaching and learning in public schools.”

She revealed that the enrollment rate for children aged three to five showed only minimal growth between 2018 and 2022, while a declining teacher-student ratio continued to put pressure on teaching capacity, potentially affecting education quality.

“Over the years, Nigeria has experienced mixed trends in key education indicators, reflecting both progress and persistent challenges,” she noted.

Garba highlighted various interventions undertaken by UBEC in collaboration with State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), including the construction of thousands of schools and the renovation of hundreds of classrooms.

In spite of these efforts, she admitted that significant gaps still existed in addressing student-to-classroom ratios and improving access to learning facilities, particularly in rural communities.

She noted that most out-of-school children were from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, stressing that poverty and inequality continued to fuel the crisis.

Garba called for increased advocacy and strategic partnerships to tackle the root causes of the out-of-school children phenomenon and to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all Nigerian children.