UBEC Unlocks ₦100bn, Expands Schools and Teacher Training Nationwide

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has announced significant progress in Nigeria’s basic education sector, revealing that more than ₦100 billion in previously unaccessed matching grants has been mobilised and invested in improving schools across the country.

Speaking during a media luncheon with education correspondents on Thursday, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, said the Commission’s activities are now driven by its 2025–2031 Strategic Blueprint, which aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to her, UBEC has moved beyond policy reforms to delivering measurable results through investments in infrastructure, teacher development and digital learning.
Dr. Garba disclosed that the funds mobilised in collaboration with state governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration have already produced tangible outcomes, including the construction of over 4,600 new classrooms, renovation of more than 6,100 classrooms, provision of 2,780 toilets and the drilling of 678 boreholes.
She added that the Commission has also supplied more than 334,000 pieces of school furniture and supported the establishment of over 2,300 Early Childhood Care Development and Education Centres nationwide.
Highlighting teacher development as a key priority, the UBEC Executive Secretary said the Commission has invested over ₦20.4 billion in professional development programmes. She explained that the investment supports initiatives such as the Effective Schools Programme and stronger School-Based Management Committees aimed at improving classroom instruction, school leadership and accountability.
Dr. Garba also emphasised UBEC’s commitment to digital transformation in basic education. She said the Commission is expanding Digital Literacy Centres, strengthening Smart Schools and promoting training in artificial intelligence, coding and robotics to prepare learners with future-ready skills.
She further disclosed that UBEC has distributed more than 7.8 million instructional materials across the country to improve literacy, numeracy and foundational learning.
According to her, the Commission’s intervention extends beyond infrastructure. UBEC is expanding access to education through Open Schooling, integrating Qur’anic and Tsangaya education, and implementing girl-child and inclusive education programmes.
She noted that institutional reforms are also being introduced to improve transparency, project monitoring and data-driven decision-making, ensuring that every investment delivers value for Nigerian children.
In her goodwill message, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, described journalists as critical partners in promoting transparency, holding stakeholders accountable and highlighting both achievements and challenges within the education sector.
She stressed the importance of sustained engagement between UBEC and education correspondents through regular briefings, project visits and collaborative storytelling.
Comrade Ike also called for timely access to education data, easier access to schools and capacity-building opportunities for education correspondents. She welcomed UBEC’s commitment to open dialogue and urged stronger collaboration to improve education reporting.
She recommended that UBEC provide quarterly or biannual media briefings, press kits, training workshops on interpreting education data and child-friendly reporting, organised field visits to UBEC-funded projects, collaborative public awareness campaigns, greater transparency in projects and procurement, investigative journalism grants and effective feedback channels for journalists.
She further called on government, teachers, communities, development partners and the media to work together to ensure every Nigerian child has access to safe, inclusive and quality basic education.
“Together, we can ensure the story of every Nigerian child’s right to quality basic education is told with accuracy, context and urgency,” she said.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN), Chux Ukwuatu, called for stronger collaboration between the Commission and education correspondents.
He urged UBEC to include selected education correspondents in field trips and project inspection visits outside Abuja, provide the necessary logistical support for official assignments and make the Commission’s activities more accessible to enable balanced and comprehensive reporting.
According to Ukwuatu, firsthand access to projects would allow journalists to accurately report both the successes and areas requiring improvement, thereby strengthening public awareness, accountability and education programmes.
The stakeholders’ engagement marks the first collaboration of its kind between UBEC and education correspondents in over nine years.
Dr. Aisha Garba reaffirmed her commitment to changing the narrative in Nigeria’s basic education sector by addressing existing challenges and expanding access to quality universal basic education across the country.
The renewed partnership has also gained momentum since the appointment of Mr. Ikharo Attah as Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education.