BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
The Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC established two decades ago has played prominent roles in accordance with it’s mandate and developed Basic Education across the country.
One year down the line of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and post COVID, the commission has redoubled efforts towards not only solidifying it’s activities, but reverse the trend of Out of School Children OOSC across Nigeria.
This led to the establishment of not only 37 Smart Schools across the country, but automated system was adopted to assist Basic schools, so as to avoid the pitfalls and recurrence of events that led to several months of lockdowns for public schools during COVID.
The commission cosntructed a multi billion naira world class Digital Resource Centre (DRC) in the nation’s city due for commissioning and will be replicated across the country to network the online activities of the newly established smart schools, that will not be cut up with any natural and artificial phenomenon as experienced before and after COVID-19.
Aligning with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the commission established 51 smart schools known as “Better Education Service Delivery” for All (BESDA) , to consolidate not only Basic Education, but smart schools.
While launching the scheme recently in the neighborhood state of Niger state in Suleija, the commission promised to consolidate the new scheme that will go round the entire country to address analogue learning.
The Bobboyi led Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC converged the state Universal Basic Education Commission SUBEBs to discuss and chart a new course on the development of “Effective school Programs” (ESP)so as to deliver not only quality Basic Education, inculcate the norms in the pupils.
Also under review, and to pursue Basic Education to a logical end, it also introduced the “Open School Learning” were pupils that defied the formal sector way of learning due to pressure of infrastructure, equipment and even manpower are provided another opportunity using the “Open School Program ” (OSP).
Moving forward, it also rejigged some of its existing programs leading to the introduction of Teachers Internship Scheme ( TIS), similar to Federal Teachers Scheme coordinated by the commission.
The commission under the new arrangement will assist the states after two years internship program by graduates of Education to be able to develop knowledge and skill of JSS students at that level .
It will also reduce to the barest minimum the scourge of out of school children OOSC, dearth of manpower to drive quality Basic Education.
The commission in 2024 under it’s program also developed Bilingual Education Curriculum for basic learners with stakeholders, so as to give unfettered access to learners at the early stage.
The new area will galvanize learning and learners abilities aside the conventional learning, but bilingual knowledge to drive the Smart Education.
It introduced “School to Work” , where students are exposed to vocation during their school time after the JSS program, along with introduction of ‘mother tongue’ to forestall learning crises.
Since it was discovered that the leeway to achieving Basic Education for learners is by deploying ‘mother tongue’, the road to resolving needless crises would have been resolved .
In a bid to creating more avenues for learners to access Basic Education and knowledge, it recently launched ‘Alternate School ‘ on behalf of the federal government to allow school pupils access to Education outside the formal sub sector.
Alternate Education, borne out of Alternate School meant for pupils who had defied conventional procedures of acquiring Basic Education, either ranging from environmental, social and economic situations.
The program recently launched in Osogbo, the Osun state capital by the leadership of the commission will provide the opportunity for enrollment of pupils in that category.
The commission also introduced Vocational Education along with acquaintances of Basic Education that provided early learners to access a vocation while acquiring Basic Education of JSS1-3.
The federal government recently launched the scheme in Kebbi and Sokoto state with the establishment of more Vocational Schools across the country provided with Laboratory, equipment ans structure to address the transition program of pupils from JSS -SSS level .
To maintain both administrative and procurement process, it recently organized a retreat, along with capacity building and training of staff of the agency at all levels, account staff and top management staff to refresh and also acquaint themselves with the new order which is basically geared towards transparency and accountability.
Early this year, the usual clamour by the commission on non- assessment of counterpart fund by state government through State Universal Basic Education Commission SUBEBs has been the other of the day as 27 states refused to assess the fund, but as a sign of remarkable improvement, the recent turn of events has demonstrated the administrative capacity of the handlers of the commission as the reverse was the case, as 26 states assessed the fund in the current year under review, one year down the line of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
With the clamour of needful amendment to the obsolete act and law guiding the activities of the commission, no doubt when amended will improve not only budgetary allocations, but scope of work and responsibilities will also be expanded to improve performance.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
