Delegates at the workshop.
By Anietie Akpan
Public Schools in Nigeria suffer as over N250 billion idle Universal Basic Education (UBE) funds have remained unused by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) due to cumbersome work plan.
In view of this, the UBEC is holding an interactive workshop for revised Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) in Uyo with State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) from states in Southern Nigeria to build capacity and train the delegates on the New proposal template to make it easier for states to apply for UBE funds in a transparent manner.
Speaking at the workshop which opened on Wednesday with delegates from the South South, South East, South West states including Kwara, the Executive Secretary of UBEC Aisha Garba, said that since assuming office “in January 2025, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Commission have been putting in place some reforms that ensure the delivery of cognitive basic education in our schools across the country.”
The Executive Secretary who was represented by her Personal Assistant, Barr. Ibrahim Gold, stated that, “the thinking in the commission is to have only one work plan for different envelopes of the imperfection funds which are matching grants, teacher, professional development, special needs, etc.
“Therefore, the need to come up with a workable template for preparation of work plan to replace the existing one that has been in operation for over two decades. Many states have been unable to assess the money. The reason is clear, the process for applying has been complicated, unclear and time consuming because of this, over N250 billion in UBE funds has remained unused, money that would have been used to improve schools and change lives.”
Garba said, “to solve this, the UBEC introduced a new and simplified project proposal template in May 2025. This new template is designed to make it easier for states to apply for UBE funds in a clear, timely and transparent manner. This new approach is more than just paperwork.
“It helps ensure that states can clearly show what they want to do, whether it is for building classrooms, training teachers, sharing features or purchasing materials, every submission follows the same format, making the review process fair and straightforward. We can better track how funds are used, increasing transparency and reducing waste or misuse.”
Equally speaking , the Akwa Ibom State SUBEB Chairman Rt Hon. Anietie Etuk, commended the Executive Secretary of UBEC who on “arrival and resumption of duties decided to change and ensure that we have a much better format of doing this work plan so we can have accountability with results”.
He also commended the Director of Physical Planning of UBEC, Engr. Sadiq Saad as well as all participants from the Southern States of Nigeria for attending the workshop.
