The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has announced plans to roll out a new funding module aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in accessing federal counterpart funding for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme across Nigeria.
The new framework, currently undergoing final validation, is designed to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and inefficiencies that have prevented many state governments from fully accessing the intervention funds. These challenges have left billions of naira in education funding unutilized over the years.
UBEC’s Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, disclosed this during an interactive workshop in Abuja on Tuesday. The session brought together chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and UBE desk officers from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to review the proposed template and ensure its effective implementation.
Garba explained that the Federal Government, through UBEC, recently restructured the basic education delivery system around four strategic pillars. These include expanding access to UBE, particularly in rural and underserved areas; improving teaching and learning quality nationwide; strengthening accountability and financial transparency in the sector; and optimizing monitoring systems for better service delivery.
She further noted that the new funding template is aligned with the administration’s Hope Education Project, which rewards states that efficiently deploy their education resources and meet key performance targets under the four pillars.
The updated work plan model will guide states in accessing UBE intervention funds more effectively and is expected to be central to the implementation of the Hope Education Project.
In his welcome remarks, UBEC’s Deputy Executive Secretary for General Services, Tunde Ajibulu, emphasized that the restructuring of the basic education sector made it essential to adopt a more efficient funding approach. He urged participants at the workshop to engage actively and contribute to the development of a workable and impactful funding template.
