The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba, has advocated for more innovative and collaborative strategies to address the persistent funding and service delivery issues confronting basic education in Nigeria.
She made the appeal during a three-day stakeholders’ meeting convened to review and finalise the UBEC Public–Private Engagement and Partnership Framework. Dr. Garba described the initiative as a significant move toward improving access, equity, and quality of basic education nationwide.
The meeting, held in Lagos State, was organised by UBEC in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It brought together key stakeholders and development partners, including representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, PLANE, Oando, the Solina Group, the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), and other resource persons.
Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Mr. Olajuwan Rasaq Akinyemi, Dr. Garba noted that although the Nigerian government holds the constitutional responsibility for providing, regulating, and financing basic education, the magnitude and complexity of existing challenges require new and practical approaches.
She identified rapid population growth, inadequate infrastructure, teacher capacity gaps, learning poverty, climate-related disruptions, and insecurity as factors straining public education resources. According to her, government funding alone cannot adequately meet the rising demands within the sector.
Dr. Garba emphasized that structured public–private engagement presents an opportunity to attract additional funding, technical expertise, and innovation, while maintaining public oversight and accountability in the education system.
She explained that the proposed framework, developed with support from partners including UNICEF, emerged from extensive consultations, data-driven analysis, and lessons drawn from both local and international best practices. She also commended UNICEF for its technical contributions to drafting the document.
Citing successful local initiatives such as the Lagos EKO Project and the Adopt-A-School Programme, she highlighted how collaboration with corporate organisations, development partners, and service providers has led to improvements in infrastructure, teaching standards, and learning outcomes.
She further referenced international examples from Pakistan and Kenya, where well-regulated public–private partnerships have successfully expanded access to quality education for disadvantaged communities.
According to Dr. Garba, the UBEC Public–Private Engagement and Partnership Framework aims to establish a transparent structure for collaboration, clearly define roles and accountability mechanisms, protect equity and quality standards, and inspire confidence among prospective investors in the education sector.
She stressed that the stakeholders’ meeting was not simply to approve the framework but to subject it to thorough review. Participants were encouraged to critically examine its assumptions, strengthen its provisions, and ensure it remains practical, inclusive, and adaptable to real-world challenges.
Dr. Garba reaffirmed UBEC’s commitment to fostering trust-based partnerships capable of delivering measurable results, expressing optimism that collective efforts would help bridge existing gaps and secure a stronger future for basic education in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Head of Public–Private Engagement and Partnerships at UBEC, Mr. Abdulmumini Abdulslam, underscored the importance of synergy between public institutions and private entities in achieving sustainable educational improvements.
The meeting convened government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society organisations, and education experts, all tasked with contributing insights toward finalising a framework designed to accelerate progress in Nigeria’s basic education sector.
