The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, has raised the alarm about the future of basic education in Nigeria, revealing that more than 10 million school-age children remain outside of the classrooms.
Garba stressed the urgent need for coordinated action to reverse the trend, pledging that UBEC would continue to work closely with state governments and other education stakeholders to move vulnerable children from the streets back into schools.
She spoke in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, during a four-day engagement and sensitisation meeting with commissioners for education and chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) from the South-South and South-East zones.
The meeting, held under the HOPE Governance programme, focused on strengthening policy implementation and improving service delivery in the basic education sector.
Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Mr. Rasaq Akinyemi, Garba underscored the importance of federal-state collaboration as a critical strategy for rescuing stranded children and increasing school enrollment nationwide.
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She explained that the federal government’s HOPE-EDU initiative is designed to transform the quality of basic education by enhancing learning outcomes, expanding access, and reinforcing education systems across the country.
The programme, she noted, aims to positively impact more than 29 million children, particularly in rural communities.
According to Garba, HOPE-EDU adopts a performance-based funding model that links financial support to measurable progress and results.
The initiative targets improved literacy and numeracy skills, a reduction in overcrowded classrooms, and a significant drop in the number of out-of-school children.
Describing the programme as a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, she said it goes beyond funding to deliver tangible reforms in the sector.
“HOPE-EDU is more than a funding mechanism; it is a promise fulfilled. It aligns seamlessly with the Renewed Hope Agenda and addresses the core challenges facing basic education in Nigeria,” she said.
Garba outlined ambitious targets for the initiative, including improving learning outcomes for over 29 million children, empowering 500,000 teachers, constructing 13,000 new classrooms, and reintegrating more than 1.5 million out-of-school children into the education system nationwide.
Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, the SUBEB Chairman, Mr. Anietie Etuk, and other stakeholders welcomed the initiative.
They emphasized the need for effective implementation to tackle longstanding challenges in the basic education sector and ensure meaningful, lasting reform.
