By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC is charged with giving special attention to basic secondary Education in Nigeria.
The federal intervention agency poised in collaboration with the State Basic Education Board SUBEB established to bridge the gap of both infrastructural, manpower,instructional materials deficits in basic Education in the country.
As part of it’s mandate, management charged with the running of the day today affairs of the commission indulged in policy initiatives to galvanise modest approach towards realising the set goals by various stakeholders, from Federal, State Governments and other local and foreign collaborators.
With the demanding nature of basic education in Nigeria compounded by both natural and artificial phenomenon,the need for management to inculcate more dynamics in it’s policy management became germane.
Hence the new management under the indefatigable leadeship of Dr Hammed Bobboyi whose renewal for a second term came recently, had embarked on series of partnerships with sister agencies to drive home it’s computer based program, due to take off in the 36 states of the federation including the FCT, known as ‘SMART’ to mitigate unforseen and avoidable situations.
The planned ICT based program meant for the country’s basic education triggered the commission into entering into partnership with National Information Technology Developement Agency (NITDA),a wholly ICT based hub in Nigeria, to advance e-learning culture into our educational system.
The positive developement and outcome of such laudable partneship will addressed the emergencies like the COVID situation in it’s third wave,crises of Endsars and other situations that could derail the schools timetable.
With this partnership,the volumes of out school children or drop out will reduce to the barest minimum in line with the expectations of policy makers, and the United Nations ,as well as SDGs.
The computer literacy level of school aged children particularly at the basic education level will undergo modifications and orientation that will equip them from the school level up to tertiary institutions.
Specialised education particularly for the indigents and other disadvantaged school pupils will be enhanced, to bridge the gap of basic education developement and progress in quest to bequeath sound education to children in Nigeria.
With NITDA carrying out the technical know how on the implementation of ‘SMART’,the need to invite fiscal discipline and transparency became apt.
Hence, the current UBEC sought partneship with the anti graft agency,the EFCC to ensure it’s aims and objectives of policy introduction and implementation to the betterment of basic education in Nigeria is not overridden by sharp practices.
To avoid initial hitches and openness not only in the implementation of ‘SMART’ but it’s activities in UBEC, as the partnership will go along way to check the activities of erring contractors either in attempt to breach the terms and conditions of contracts, supplies relating to the activities of the commision.
With partneship with the EFCC,staffers and contractors doing business with UBEC are expected to enter into a binding agreement and Memorandum of Understanding MOU, not to breach the conditions and terms of jobs awarded.
This is expected to be inline with the best practices,fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability in the scheme of the commision.
With this move,no doubt the policies and programs of UBEC in Nigeria will yield the expected results, to the admiration of both the government and it’s ctizens.
Yusuf,A Public Affairs Analyst, Writes From Abuja.
