The Federal government has described as regrettable, the inability of some states in accessing counterpart funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to develop basic education in their states.
Minister of education, Adamu Adamu, who stated this at this year’s 65th National Council on Education meeting in Jalingo, Taraba State, said over N130 billion in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) custody is still unutilized due to the inability of states to provide their 50 percent counterpart funds.
Adamu, who was represented by the minister of state for education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said the affected states need to reprioritize basic education as it is the bedrock and too strategic to be ignored.
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This was contained in a statement signed by Ben Bem Goong, director, Press and Public Relations in Abuja on Thursday.
According to the statement, Adamu, while emphasizing the need for co-operation from the states, said the tasks of developing education at all levels, securing children and ensuring basic sanitation in schools requires that all hands must be on deck to achieve the desired results.
Also speaking at the occasion, minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen called for greater stakeholder cooperation in the efforts to eradicate the out-of-school children phenomenon, adding that no child should be left behind.
President of the Association of Proprietors of private schools, Ajibade Augustine stated that members of the Association are more than ever before, determined to take more children off the streets in their efforts at eradicating the out of school children phenomenon.
