The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Hamid Bobboyi, has said despite a yearly N100 billion investment by the Federal Government, basic education remains underfunded.
Biobboyi said this at a one-day meeting on promoting partnership with the organised private sector (OPS) yesterday in Abuja.
The UBEC boss said the resources the Federal Government was putting into the sub-sector could no longer fund basic education.
He said Nigeria has over 45 million children currently enrolled at the basic education level.
According to him, even though the Federal Government is spending money on education, the sector requires more resources to deliver quality acquisition of knowledge.
The UBEC boss urged the private sector to appreciate the importance of providing education for children at an early age to enable them contribute to the development of the country.
He said: “Resources from the Federal Government alone cannot run the system. Nigeria has over 45 million children in the basic education sub-sector. With this number, we require the necessary classrooms.
“A state may get a maximum of maybe N3 billion in the best of times. But N3 billion cannot take care of things; it needs instructional materials. You need a lot of other things.”
Stressing that education is the foundation of the collective existence of Nigerians, Bobboyi said if the country neglected the sector, there would be dire consequences.
On the objective of the meeting, the UBEC boss said the commission was bringing together key stakeholders to have a functional relationship with the private sector for a better understanding of the activities and challenges in the basic education sub-sector.
He decried the 29 per cent reduction in the number of teachers in Nigeria’s basic school system, following the COVID-19 crisis.
“Unless we can pay our teachers and compensate them properly, as well as motivate them, it is very difficult to deliver the kind of education that we all dream of,” Bobboyi said.
The Head of Oando Foundation, Adegoke Adekanla, praised UBEC for its commitment towards improving basic education in the country.
She said Oando Foundation also aligned with the broader initiative of the commission to strengthen the agency’s programme through collaborative partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Represented by an official of the foundation, Ede Okechukwu, the foundation chief said: “Basic education forms the foundation upon which all other forms of learning and development rest. It is the fundamental right of every child and the cornerstone of a prosperous and equitable society. Access to quality basic education is not just a goal; it is a moral imperative that shapes the future of nations.”
