THE Federal Government has announced a plan to increase the share of the consolidated revenue fund allocated to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) from two percent to five per cent to boost basic education delivery in the country.
Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, who gave the hint in Abuja, said this was in line with the commitment of the current administration to ensure sustainable funding of the education sector in the country.
He explained that with the proposal to integrate secondary education into basic education, extending it to 12 years, it would only be wise that more funding is injected into that level of education for development of infrastructure and teacher training among other things.
Alausa said this initiative aligns with global best practices and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
“Subsuming secondary education into basic education is necessary to improve access, retention, and completion. By making secondary education a part of basic education, students will benefit from uninterrupted learning up to the age of 16.
“This reform will also reduce dropout rates by eliminating financial and systemic barriers that currently prevent students from completing secondary education,” he said.
Recall that the House of Representatives had in the same vein sponsored a Bill for an Act to amend the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education (Amendment) Act.
The proposed amendment Bill sponsored by Honourable Tolani Muktar Shagaya, sought to increase the share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund allocated to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) from two per cent to four per cent.
The goal is to ensure that the allocation to education meets the recommended benchmark by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of 15 to 20 percent share of the total national budget.
Leading the debate at the plenary, Shagaya, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and serves as the representative for Ilorin/Asa Federal Constituency of Kwara State in the House of Representatives, said UBEC was established in 1999 to formulate the policy guidelines for the successful operation of the universal basic education programmes in the country.
Shagaya who holds the position of Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, highlighted the importance of proper funding of UBEC, saying UBEC receives two percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) from the Federal Government and allocates it to the states through a pre-existing counterpart funding arrangement, and other relevant agencies implementing the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.
The lawmaker explained that the original intention and mandate of the commission, as contained in the extant Act, is to provide greater access to, and ensure quality of basic education throughout Nigeria.
Shagaya said going by this, basic education is to be provided by the Federal Government and it shall be compulsory, free, universal and qualitative.
The lawmaker added that the extant law establishing UBEC, while laudable, has still not achieved significant aspects of its set goals as intended.
For instance, Shagaya stressed that the issue of out-of-school children still proves to be a multifaceted problem with far reaching consequences.
“It is imperative that we address this while also prioritising technological advancement and enhancing teacher’s training in our basic schools to align with global best practices.
Shagaya noted that the UBE Amendment Act is not a luxury, but a moral imperative and an investment in human dignity, social justice and in the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
Reaffirming the commitment of the Federal Government to ensure that allocation to UBEC for UBE implementation is increased from two percent to five percent, the Education Minister said he would meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in order to achieve the goal.
He noted that the 12 years of basic education will be free, universal, mandatory and qualitative. “We already have UBEC that gets 2 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and we will seek to increase that Fund to 5 percent. A lot of the fund goes into curriculum level instruction, equipping the schools and supporting our students better.
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“I’m going to meet with Mr President on how to improve the current level of funding to our basic education, especially the increase of the 2 percent of Consolidated Revenue allocation to 5 percent. We will ask for that,” he stated.
The Minister added that all of the funds would be channelled towards strengthening the basic education delivery in the country from infrastructure to teacher quality among others.
Additionally, he said there will be efforts to improve funding, particularly for early childhood education, and strengthen the quality of public schools, in order to equip students with the skills necessary for success in life, whether they further education or as workforce.
