UBEC, UNICEF train officers on UBE implementation

THE executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, has emphasised the need for training and retraining of key officers in the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.

He spoke at a week-long training session for UBEC social mobilization officers and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) desk officers in Calabar, Cross River State.

The training programme was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF).

Bobboyi, who was represented by the UBEC director of administration and supplies, Rt.-Rev. Edwin Musa Jarumai, said the training programme was to sharpen the skills of the officers towards effective service delivery.

He urged participants to redouble their efforts in deriving maximum benefit from the training in order to be able to lead and drive the various processes and activities aimed at ensuring effective collaboration between grassroots stakeholders and policy makers in the UBE programme implementation.

UBEC’s public relations officer, Mr Ossom Ossom, also explained that the training was with the intent of adopting proactive measures and initiatives for engaging school-level stakeholders in addressing challenges of access and equitable quality in the provision of basic education and ensuring effective utilization of available learning opportunities at the basic level.

Ossom further explained that the concepts of social mobilization and SBMC in UBE delivery were central to efforts aimed at institutionalizing community ownership of the structure and processes for UBE delivery in their domains.

He said: “UNICEF is UBEC’s major partners in the SBMC intervention in Nigeria. The five-day training will witness the presentation of papers by renowned resource persons and consultants from UBEC and UNICEF as well as plenary and syndicate shared interactions.”