UBEC adopts new strategies in tackling basic education challenge in North-East

THE Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has said that a new strategy is being adopted to mainstream basic education and address the challenges of out-of-school children the North-Eastern part of the country.

Executive secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi who made this known recently when he received a high powered committee on reform of Tsangaya system of education in Borno State, said the Alarammas are also enjoined to sustain the Islamic, Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE).

The IQTE training is designed to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge to deliver English, Hausa, Maths and social studies lessons alongside Quranic education.

The methodologies introduced in the training aimed at helping teachers manage pupils and lead them to learn effectively and become lifelong learners.

Bobboyi said accordingly, instead of constructing big structures the commission is now consulting with the Alarammas to identify their essential needs with the provision that they would accept the introduction of basic education subjects.

He said another strategy was the establishment of a 6-member state implementation team, majority of whom are State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) appointees, to among others assist in the planning and implementation of all projects to be carried out in the state.

He added that there was also infrastructural development including construction of 2 or 4 classroom and hostel, supply of vocational equipment, toilets and water, teaching of Basic Education in IQTE school.

The UBEC boss further noted that the basic education teachers would also be deployed by SUBEB while addressing the feeding problems of Almajirai with the hope that the states would do a lot to help in the distribution of textbooks to IQTE schools, the Head Public Relations and Protocol, UBEC, Mr David Apeh said in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The Executive Secretary said currently UBEC in collaboration with Borno SUBEB has identified 25 number of Tsangaya/Almajiri centres in the state to be supplied with financial grants to improve their infrastructures.

“We believe that Borno State can do other things to support the IQTE schools in the state, after all the 1999 Constitution as amended saddled the state and local government with the responsibility of providing a year basic education,” he said.

Dr Bobboyi noted that although the state was passing through very challenging time there were some measures to be taken that would not only address the problem of out-of-school children but go a long way to engender peace in the state.

Some of the measure according to him, include the inclusion of Almajiri centres in the feeding programme, capacity building programmes for the mallams and effective sensitization of the Alarammas should be carried out for them to see the need to allow the children to acquire additional knowledge through basic education.

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