After years of dormant grants, states access N234bn for basic education, UBEC says

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) says state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have accessed about N234 billion in matching grants for basic education following reforms that addressed longstanding bottlenecks in the funding framework.

Aisha Garba, Executive Secretary of UBEC, disclosed this on Thursday during an interactive session with members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja.

Garba said the reforms had reduced unaccessed matching grants from more than N260 billion to about N26 billion, ending years in which states were unable to draw down funds meant to support basic education projects.

She attributed the improvement to the review of UBEC’s matching grant guidelines and the restructuring of the Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP), which now gives states greater flexibility to address their unique education priorities.

“Over the years, states were not coming to access the 50 per cent due to them, and because of that, more than N260 billion was sitting accumulated in the account, waiting for states to come. Under this administration, we took strategic steps and reviewed the matching grant guidelines to give states more flexibility,” Garba said.

According to her, the previous funding template had remained largely unchanged for nearly two decades despite changing realities in the education sector.

“Twenty years ago, the challenges in basic education were different from what we have today. The previous formula was one-size-fits-all, but the challenges in Kano are not the same as those in Lagos or Ekiti. We changed it so that states can use the funds to address their peculiar needs,” she added.

Garba said the reforms facilitated the mobilisation of more than N100 billion in previously unaccessed matching grants by states and the FCT, contributing to the overall N234 billion now accessed for interventions in basic education.

She said the funding had translated into significant improvements in school infrastructure, including the construction of more than 4,600 classrooms, the renovation of over 6,100 dilapidated classrooms, the provision of 2,780 toilets and 678 boreholes, as well as the supply of more than 334,000 pieces of school furniture nationwide.

The UBEC boss noted that the commission’s assessment showed that more than 40 per cent of basic education infrastructure across the country was previously in poor condition, prompting the introduction of new minimum standards for school construction.

The standards, she explained, now require perimeter fencing, improved sanitation facilities, solar power solutions and enhanced learning environments to improve safety and learning outcomes.

Beyond infrastructure, Garba said UBEC had invested more than N20.4 billion in teacher professional development, with nearly one million teachers benefiting from various training programmes implemented in collaboration with State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).

She stressed that improving teacher quality remained central to achieving better learning outcomes.

“We recognise that no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers. It is not just about constructing classrooms; the most important person in a child’s learning journey is the teacher,” she said.

Garba also highlighted the commission’s investments in digital education, saying UBEC was expanding Digital Literacy Centres across the country, strengthening Smart Schools and promoting the teaching of artificial intelligence, coding and robotics to equip pupils with skills required for a technology-driven future.

She added that more than 7.8 million instructional materials, including textbooks, school bags and other learning resources, had been distributed to schools, particularly in disadvantaged communities, to improve literacy and foundational learning.

The Executive Secretary said UBEC was also expanding access to education through Open Schooling, Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education, girl-child education and inclusive education programmes while strengthening partnerships with state governments, development partners and the private sector.

She called on the media to continue supporting efforts to improve basic education through balanced and constructive reporting.

“Education is a shared responsibility. Government can provide leadership and resources, but lasting transformation requires the collective commitment of communities, teachers, parents, development partners and the media,” Garba said.

She reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to building a resilient and future-ready basic education system that guarantees every Nigerian child access to safe, inclusive and quality learning opportunities.