The Federal Government has identified the recruitment of poor and unqualified teachers as well as ineffective supervision as some of the factors impeding delivery of quality basic education in the country.
Minister of State for Education, Dr Suwaiba Ahmad, expressing concerns about learning crisis at the basic level of education in Nigeria, however, expressed determination of the current administration to continue to focus on and improve factors that impact on quality education delivery, such as teacher quality, school environment, availability of instructional materials, efficient school governance and supervision.
She spoke at a meeting with the 774 education secretaries from the local governments in Nigeria organised by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja.
Ahmad commended UBEC for putting together the training programme for the education secretaries from the local governments in Nigeria with the aim of enhancing effective management of schools under their supervision.
The training programme designed to equip the secretaries with relevant skills and competencies in handling and administration of schools, took place simultaneously in all the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The minister highlighted critical challenges bedevilling basic education in the country, while emphasising the crucial role being played in basic education delivery in the structure of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme implementation by the Local Government Education Authorities (LEA) that are closest to schools, learners, parents, communities and other stakeholders.
Ahmad said: “As a matter of fact, the local governments have the constitutional responsibility for primary school education delivery. It, therefore, will serve a good end when we have trained competent managers and effective supervisors at the local government level.
“Education ranks high on the priority list of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as espoused in the Renewed Hope Agenda. For us at the Federal Ministry of Education, we are analysing the critical issues at every level in the education sector with the plan to review and come up with new initiatives and strategies that will deliver results.
“At the primary level, Nigeria is facing two major challenges in education delivery. While we are grappling with the challenge of the large number of school age children who are not in school, there is also the problem of those in school who are not learning.
“Primary school education is today bedevilled by what is now popularly called “learning poverty. Primary school children are performing below their capacity, and this must be arrested,” she stated.
She hinted that some of the ongoing programmes being implemented by different agencies under the Ministry of Education will be reviewed and redirected for proper coordination.
She noted for instance that the Commission for Almajiri and out-of-school children education had the mandate is to reduce the number of school age children who are not attending school.
maintaining that the ministry will continue to focus and improve factors that impact on quality education delivery, such as teacher quality, school environment, availability of instructional materials, efficient school governance and supervision.
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The minister further reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government towards supporting local and state governments in ensuring that the goal of universal basic education programme is achieved in the shortest time.
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi in his remarks, noted that the training and sensitisation of all local government education secretaries becomes imperative in view of the position they occupy today as the administrative and professional heads of the Local Government Education Authorities and are primarily expected to ensure that the primary schools in their domains are run efficiently.
He urged the participants to strengthen transparency and accountability in fund management, to ensure that funds are utilised for the purpose they are disbursed.
“It is my expectation that with the recent autonomy granted Local Governments in Nigeria, more responsibilities will be devolved to them with the possible direct disbursement of primary education Federal Intervention Fund to states through the Local Government Education Authorities,” he said.
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