The Universal Basic Education Commission has disclosed that it has returned 700,000 out-of-school children to classrooms nationwide and distributed 15 million learning support kits to pupils.
The Executive Secretary Dr. Aisha Garba who was speaking during the flag-off ceremony for the distribution of around 140,000 instructional materials to FCT public basic schools on Thursday in Abuja, described the FCT intervention was “a continuation of these nationwide efforts” to ensure every child has access to quality education.
“The FCT SUBEB has received allocations that include core subject textbooks, teacher resource packs, and digital learning aids designed to strengthen teaching and learning outcomes.
“These items, which are around 140,000 in number, are expected to impact no fewer than 10,000 pupils in the FCT. This is indeed a milestone worth celebrating,” she said.
Garba said UBEC has advanced inclusive education initiatives through partnerships with all 37 SUBEBs and the FCT, focusing on infrastructure, teacher development, structured pedagogy, teaching aids, and digital learning tools.
She said UBEC, in collaboration with states, recently distributed 100,000 instructional materials and school records to Integrated Quranic and Tsangaya Education centres nationwide, strengthening non-formal education and addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge.
“Beyond core textbooks, the Commission has distributed smart boards, tablets, desktop computers, and over 400,000 library materials, benefiting hundreds of schoolchildren across the country.
“Recently, 15 million learning support kits were distributed across the country to support wholesome learning among our children,” Garba added.
She described the instructional materials as “tools of empowerment—resources that will enable our teachers to teach more effectively and our pupils to learn more meaningfully.”
Garba commended the leadership of FCT SUBEB for the “timely flag-off” and said she remained optimistic that the materials would reach end users as soon as possible.
She urged the FCT Administration to replicate the initiative through its annual statutory budget, “especially in terms of the timely release of counterpart funding for UBE projects, so that together, we can strengthen the quality of our basic education as well as minimize the incidence of out-of-school children in the FCT and indeed in Nigeria over time.”
Garba said the Nigerian child “remains at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President and indeed the Minister and Minister of State for Education.”
“Our combined resolve to place Nigerian children at par with their counterparts across the globe remains unshaken,” she said.
Also speaking, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike said he had approved the renovation of 108 schools across the capital territory with the mandate of President Bola Tinubu renewed hope agenda.
Represented by the Education mandate secretary, Dr Danlami Hajo disclosed that FCT has always been regular with the payment of marching grant of UBEC.