The Universal Basic Education Commission has facilitated the mobilization of over N100 billion in matching grants that previously sat dormant due to bureaucratic obstacles. According to leadership within the apex primary education body, the successful retrieval of the idle capital was achieved by overhauling matching grant guidelines, making the application process more transparent and accessible for sub-national administrators. Consequently, 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory have actively cleared the administrative hurdles necessary to draw down on the long-neglected allocations.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Aisha Garba, announced during an inter-state operational briefing that the newly deployed financial resources are being directly systematically channeled into improving basic learning environments nationwide. Under its updated 2025–2031 Strategic Blueprint, which aligns with the Federal Government’s national development agendas, the commission has already financed the construction of more than 4,600 new classrooms and spearheaded the renovation of over 6,100 instructional facilities across the federation. The extensive infrastructural upgrades also include the creation of over 2,300 early childhood development centers and thousands of municipal school sanitation networks.

Beyond traditional classroom blocks, the federal commission is expanding its digital literacy framework by integrating artificial intelligence, foundational coding, and digital learning facilities into the public curriculum. The intervention has successfully impacted an estimated 8.7 million primary learners through the targeted distribution of 7.8 million instructional materials. While celebrating the massive capital release, education officials cautioned that sub-national education boards must continuously work to rectify localized electricity shortages and teacher distribution disparities to maximize the technological benefits of the newly digitized learning centers.

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The Federal Government has announced plans to overhaul Nigeria’s education structure, citing the alarming rate of school dropouts caused by the separation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS).

Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee in Abuja.

Alausa said the existing arrangement has failed to deliver seamless access to education, revealing that more than 20 million children who enrolled in primary school dropped out before reaching senior secondary level.

According to the minister, Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools but only 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a major transition gap that leaves millions of pupils without access to further education after primary school.

He explained that the policy separating JSS from SSS has contributed to overcrowding in junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised.

“About 24 million children enrol in our primary schools, but only about four million complete senior secondary education. We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are those students?” he queried.

Alausa said the Tinubu administration was determined to reverse the trend and expand access to education by phasing out the policy.

“The previous governments may have failed in this regard, but this government will not fail. We are fixing this. We need to create more opportunities for children to move seamlessly through the education system.

“We have overflowing junior secondary schools and empty senior secondary schools. I can objectively report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out,” he stated.

The minister disclosed that the proposal would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for consideration and possible adoption.

He also inaugurated a high-powered committee chaired by education expert, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to accelerate the completion, handover and operationalisation of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools funded by UBEC nationwide.

Alausa expressed concern that several completed projects remained abandoned or had not been handed over to state governments despite huge public investments.

“The purpose of these schools is to educate children, not to remain locked up after completion,” he said.

Earlier, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the Federal Government had made significant progress in expanding access to quality education through its specialised school programmes.

She revealed that 37 Smart Schools have been established across the country, with 24 already operational, while others are at different stages of completion and preparation for academic activities.

Garba also disclosed that 30 schools have been established under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme across nine states, while the Alternative Schools Programme is providing learning opportunities for vulnerable and out-of-school children through flexible education models.

She said the newly inaugurated committee would ensure timely completion of projects, address implementation challenges and guarantee that educational investments deliver meaningful outcomes for Nigerian children.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof. Aderinoye pledged to work diligently to remove obstacles delaying project delivery and improve access to quality education nationwide.

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In a move aimed at bolstering Nigeria’s education sector, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Aisha Garba, a renowned international development specialist, as the new Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

This was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Garba, a Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, brings over 24 years of experience in advancing educational initiatives across Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Kenya, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Her extensive career has been marked by designing and managing impactful education programs, driving reforms, and fostering human and economic development.

With more than 15 years at the World Bank, Garba has demonstrated expertise in leading large-scale education reforms from inception to execution and impact evaluation.

She has also built a reputation for her work in fragile and conflict-prone environments, leveraging her skills and network to deliver sustainable education solutions.

Garba’s track record includes contributing to Nigeria’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in education.

She has also consulted for global organizations such as the Department for International Development (DFID), Regent Foundation, and Muslim Aid Organization, among others.

An alumna of Petra American University in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Computer Studies, Garba went on to obtain a Master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham in the UK.

In her new role, President Tinubu expects Garba to lead UBEC in delivering the government’s vision of providing quality education for Nigerian children and enhancing their competitiveness on the global stage.

The appointment underscores Tinubu’s commitment to revitalizing Nigeria’s basic education sector as part of his broader agenda to inspire “Renewed Hope” for the nation’s future.

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