UBEC to spend over N1.155bn on teachers training

THE Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has said it would spend N1.155 billion on teachers training in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The Executive Secretary of the board, Dr Hamid Bobboyi made this known in Kaduna on Wednesday at the opening of a three-day meeting of UBEC management with Directors and Desk Officers of TPD and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Bobboyi, who was represented by Dr Yakubu Gambo, UBEC Deputy Executive Secretary, Services, said that each state would get N165 million under the 2016 Teacher Professional Development (TPD).

He said that SUBEBs were expected to draft action plans and budgets in respect to the available funds and ensure judicious utilisation.

He described TPD as one of the Federal Government’s universal basic education intervention programmes aimed at sharpening the skills of teachers and education managers of basic education.

ALSO READ: APC playing dangerous game with Lagos ― Fayose

The secretary explained that the measure was to ensure effective delivery of quality education at the basic level.

According to him, the Federal Government is determined to ensure that teachers and education managers in the country are regularly exposed to training and current global best practices for quality teaching and learning.

“As we prepare to implement the 2016 TPD training, it is imperative that we evaluate how the 2015 training was implemented, identify areas of strengths so we can improve on them.

“It is also imperative to identify areas of weaknesses and challenges, so we can address them and chart a way forward.

“The objective of this meeting, therefore, is to analyse our performance in the 2015 TPD training and map out strategies on how to improve on subsequent training,” he said.

Bobboyi said that state governments had been mandated to set aside five per cent of 2016 TPD funds for capacity building of Early Child Care Development Education (ECCDE) teachers and caregivers.

He said that all SUBEBs and local government staff involved in cluster schools model training would be trained on how to effectively support cluster teachers in the classroom and share experience with others.

“For this purpose, states will be required to set aside funds for the capacity building of SUBEB officials and local government staff of cluster school support and follow up mechanism.”

Bobboyi, however, stated that effective mechanism had been put in place to ensure that the training programme in all states were strictly monitored to ensure effective implementation and value for money.

The Executive Chairman, Kaduna SUBEB, Malam Nasiru Umar, said that ongoing education reform in the state was focused on ensuring that only the qualified teachers in the state’s public schools were employed.

Umar said that the UBEC TPD training would go a long way in improving teachers’ capacity to ensure quality teaching and learning in basic schools.