Victoria Mgbanwa
In a bid to revitalize Nigeria’s basic education system, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is undergoing structural reforms aimed at strengthening its zonal and state offices.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, outlined these changes during a two-day meeting in Abuja, focusing on empowering regional offices for more effective service delivery and improved coordination with local governments.
The reforms come in response to inefficiencies that have emerged over time, particularly the centralization of tasks at the UBEC headquarters in Abuja.
According to Bobboyi he said, “Education is one of the cardinal components of the Agenda and we are expected to play our role towards the achievement of the objectives.
“I believe that you are all aware that the States and Local Governments are constitutional responsibility for UBEC delivery in Nigeria. The Federal Government is only intervening, through its agency, the Universal Basic Education Commission, in the form of assistance to the States and Local Governments in Nigeria for the purposes of uniform and qualitative basic education throughout Nigeria.
“This means that basic education implementation is taking place in the States and by the States. The Commission’s major roles in the UBE implementation process include the regulation and coordination of the programme implementation.
“In addition to these, the Commission disburses Federal Government UBEC Intervention Fund to States, sets standards and monitors to ensure that these are maintained and that the Federal Government UBEC fund is judiciously utilised in line with the Commission’s guidelines.”
Bobboyi emphasized the need for better coordination between the headquarters and field offices, ensuring that each entity focuses on its defined role in the larger goal of providing quality education nationwide.
Dr. Bobboyi concluded by calling for leadership and commitment from zonal and state officers to ensure the success of these reforms. He assured the field offices of support in areas such as staffing, office facilities, and funding, though these improvements will be phased in due to budgetary constraints.
As UBEC restructures to better serve the country’s basic education needs, all eyes will be on how quickly and efficiently these changes can be implemented to reverse the previous inefficiencies and boost productivity at the local level.
