By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has commenced training for 774 Education Secretaries from local governments nationwide to improve the management and administration of schools under their oversight.
Speaking at the inauguration of the training in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Education, Dr Suwaiba Ahmad, addressed the challenges confronting basic education in Nigeria.
Ahmad noted the role played by Local Government Education Authorities (LEAs) in the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.
She stressed the importance of equipping Local Government Education Secretaries with the necessary skills and competencies to manage and administer schools effectively.
“As a matter of fact, the Local Governments have the constitutional responsibility for primary school education delivery.
“It will serve a good purpose to have well-trained, competent managers and effective supervisors at the Local Government level”.
The minister added that the Federal Ministry of Education is currently reviewing key issues across all levels of the education sector to introduce new initiatives and strategies aimed at delivering better results.
“At the primary level, Nigeria faces two major challenges in education delivery. While we grapple with the large number of school-age children who are not in school, there is also the problem of children in school who are not learning.
“Primary school education is plagued by what is now commonly referred to as ‘learning poverty.’
“Primary school children are performing below their capacity, and this must be urgently addressed,” Ahmad said.
She further hinted that some of the ongoing programmes implemented by various agencies under the Ministry of Education would be reviewed and redirected to ensure better coordination and effectiveness.
While commending UBEC for organising the training programme, Ahmad reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting local and state governments in achieving the goals of the universal basic education programme.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, revealed the importance of the training, given the critical administrative and professional roles of local government education secretaries in the LEAs.
He urged participants to uphold transparency and accountability in the management of funds, ensuring they are utilised for their intended purposes.
“It is my expectation that with the recent autonomy granted to local governments in Nigeria, more responsibilities will be devolved to them.
“This includes the possible direct disbursement of primary education federal intervention funds to states through the local government education authorities,” Bobboyi stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was conducted simultaneously across all six geopolitical zones of the country.
NAN
