UBEC’s Over N135bn Unassessed Grant Cripples Basic Education

• Ebonyi has paid its matching grant – SUBEB chair
• Teachers: States should construct more classrooms, provide learning materials

GRANT Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in a statement last week, claimed that 34 out of 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are yet to access the 2024 UBE matching grant, but some states have debunked the claim

The basic education level is in the trenches due to the palpable rot in the system owing largely to the failure of the state government to properly fund the sub-sector. Today, the education sub-sector is bedeviled by the dearth of infrastructure, lack of modern facilities and instructional materials, shortage of qualified teachers, among other numerous challenges facing the system.

Unfortunately, this worrisome development has led to several primary school children sitting under trees and sheds, or dust infested floors to learn in some states across the federation.

Worst still, is the problem of the staggering figure of out-of-school children at this level due mainly to insecurity and other extraneous factors in some parts of the country, which have forced several children away from the school system.

In a damning report, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), revealed that one out of four children (25 per cent) in Nigeria is out of school, while 75 per cent of Nigerian children have not developed functional learning skills, which are critical building blocks for advanced knowledge and skills.

According to UNICEF’s Education Manager, Mr Jutaro Sakamioto, who spoke at the 2024 African Statistics Day celebration in Abuja, stated that education should be one of the most important investments of any government. Given the challenges stifling basic levels of education growth in the country, concerns have continued to be raised by critical stakeholders in the nation’s education system, who accused the state government of poor attitude and commitment to basic education development.

Worried by the daunting challenges and the need to address the needs of the basic education (primary and junior secondary schools), a sub-sector under the purview of the Federal Government, the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme was initiated, under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) which oversees the sub-sector in terms of funding in order to position it for optimal performance.

Under the UBEC scheme, the Federal Government provides a 50 per cent matching grant yearly, while each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FTC) provides the remaining 50 per cent as their counterpart fund to allow them access UBEC Matching Grant. But, any state that fails to pay its 50 per cent counterpart fund would have no access to the UBEC matching grant in their respective states.

UBEC

However, in a shocking revelation last week, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hamid Bobboyi, expressed worry that out of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory are yet to access the 2024 Universal Basic Education (UBE) matching grant.

According to him, only Katsina and Kaduna are the only two states that have been able to access their 2024 UBE Matching Grants, a development which has been widely condemned and criticised by stakeholders. Now, a total of N135,540,905,308,92, according to Bobboyi, is unaccessed by the states between 2020 and 2024.

The number of teachers in our primary and junior secondary schools is grossly insufficient for the system

These funds could have been used for infrastructure and provision of facilities, as well as recruitment of teachers and capacity development at the basic education level.

Piqued by the humongous amount of money in UBEC unaccessed and lying fallow, stakeholders blamed the state governments for lack of the right political will and deliberate efforts to articulate, so to say, commitment and political will to address the slur and decay at the basic education level.

With the right political will and commitment on the part of the government at all levels, especially state governments, the stakeholders noted that the crisis of underfunding resulting in the dearth of facilities, lack of conducive teaching-learning environment, insufficient teaching staff in most schools across the country, as well as the attendant high rate of out-of-school children, would have been minimised or tackled head-on.

Painting the ugly picture of the poor attitude of states towards accessing the UBE matching grants, Bobboyi during the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) oversight function at the Commission in Abuja, lamented that only Katsina and Kaduna states had accessed their first and second quarter, 2024 matching grant.

Giving more insights on the mode of accessing the matching grants between 2020 and 2024, the Executive Secretary regretted that unaccessed UBE grants by states constituted a significant challenge for basic and junior secondary education development in the country.

Bobboyi stated: “For the 2020 UBE matching grant, 34 states and the FCT have accessed the grant, while two states (Abia and Ogun) were yet to access it; and for 2021 grant, 33 states and the FCT have accessed the fund, leaving Abia, Imo, and Ogun which are yet to do so.

“Also, in 2022 allocations, only 29 states and the FCT accessed the grants with Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Ogun, and Oyo states yet to access theirs; and for 2023, only 25 states accessed the grants for the first to fourth quarters.” According to him, N263.04 billion and N103.29 billion, representing two per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) were allocated to the UBEC under the 2024 and 2023 Appropriation Acts, respectively.

Out of these figures, he pointed out that N103.29 billion was fully released for 2023 matching grant, while N219.20 billion had also been released for 2024, representing 83.33 per cent of the year’s allocation.

However, on the scale of state performances in accessing the UBE grants by geo-political zones, as of October 31, the Executive Secretary said the North-West geo-political zone achieved 100 per cent.

In the ranking, the South-South geo-political zone followed with 97.92 per cent, North-Central with 97.76 per cent, North-East with 97.57 per cent, South-West has 92.28 per cent; and South-East with 85.37 per cent, respectively.

Thus, he identified lack of political will and commitment by some state governments, low budgetary allocations to basic education at state and local government levels, and poor teacher quality, and the high number of out-of-school children as some of the key challenges confronting UBEC and basic education in the country.

Meanwhile, a member of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Victor Umeh lamented the high number of out-of-school children especially in the Northern states, despite the higher resources allocations to the area.

States

Curiously, contrary to UBEC Executive Secretary’s declaration that only Katsina and Kaduna states have accessed their matching grants for 2024, which is due to end in the next few weeks, some state governments have faulted the Commission’s position.

Reacting to the issue, some of the state government that spoke with New Telegraph claimed that they have paid the counterpart funds for them to access their matching grants, but which UBEC is also yet to release.

In the findings by New Telegraph in Ebonyi State, the state government discredited the recent statement credited to the Executive Secretary of UBEC, alluding that 34 states, including Ebonyi are yet to access the 2024 UBE matching grants with the Commission.

Speaking with New Telegraph in Abakaliki, the state capital, the Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Livinus Ezeuwa, in his disapproval and rebuttal noted that the state government has been up-to-date in the payment of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 matching grants, respectively.

“That is not the true position concerning this state as Governor Francis Nwifuru has paid the matching grant a long time ago. Governor Nwifuru had graciously paid all that needed to be paid, and very soon we shall start implementing our action plan.

“Those, who are saying that Ebonyi State has not paid its matching grant, need to check their records to know that we have paid,” Ezeuwa stated. Ezeuwa, who restated that the state government was waiting for the release of the funds so as to commence implementation of the action plan, however, added: “We are accessing the funds right now, and we are very prompt at it.”

Despite the state government’s position, teachers in most of the public schools in the state have decried the myriad of challenges facing the basic education system, even as they lamented that if the grants had been accessed accordingly and up-to-date, the appalling state of the basic schools would have been improved.

“Except the money is not being used for the purpose it was meant for, if the parlous state of the state’s basic education schools is anything to go by,” the teachers said.

Also, in a chat with New Telegraph, a teacher at Ezzikwo Road Urban Primary School, Abakaliki, lamented what he described as the acute shortage of teachers and the dearth of facilities in most basic schools across the state, saying the “number of teachers in our primary and junior secondary schools is grossly insufficient for the system.”

“If you visit most basic schools in the state, you will find one teacher teaching Primary 1, 2 and 3 pupils that are cramped together in a classroom due to shortage of teachers in the schools,” the teacher added.

Corroborating her colleague, another teacher at Community Primary School, Ama Oso, attributed the shortage of teachers to the failure of the past administration in the state to recruit teachers despite the revealing deficiency.

“Many teachers are leaving the profession due to poor remuneration and this has resulted in pupils withdrawing from public schools to private schools,” the teacher also said.

On the poor state of infrastructure and facilities in basic education schools, a teacher, who also did not mention his name or school, said that most schools in the state lack enough infrastructure. “The problem is that there are no desks or benches for the pupils and students. Many of them cluster on a desk that is meant for two pupils,” he stated, regretting that this has impeded effective teaching and learning in schools.

Also, in Oyo State, it is the same story, as Oyo SUBEB Chairman, Dr Nureni Adeniran, told our Correspondent that the state government has paid its counterpart fund for the 2022/2023 UBEC-SUBEB intervention fund.

However, he stated that the process was ongoing to get the matching grant from UBEC, having paid the counterpart fund, as required by law.

The payment by the state government could be confirmed from UBEC,” Nureni reaffirmed. But, when New Telegraph visited some basic schools in the state, the story is a mixed-grill in terms of poor staffing, provision of infrastructure and facilities.

Owing to shortage of teachers in the system as a result of retirement of some teachers and other factors, the state government through the state SUBEB in September this year, was said to have conducted recruitment exercises for teachers into public primary schools.

Following the recruitment interview, the name of a total of 5,600 qualified candidates had been released, as well as another 80 caregivers. Speaking on the level of facilities in most of the basic education schools in the state, a primary school teacher at Akanran in Ona Ara Local Government Area of Ibadan, bemoaned the problems of “inadequate classrooms, lack of toilet facilities in the schools.

According to the teacher, the situation is so deplorable that pupils that live around or close to the schools have to go home when pressed to use the toilet; while those that live far away, particularly the female students have to go home to change their pads especially during their menstrual period.

Besides, the teacher spoke of how two classes are merged together in an open classroom without demarcation with the usual attendant rowdy session due to lack of facilities and required infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the story is perhaps different in some schools, especially a school in the Olorunsogo area of Ibadan, where the state government has newly built classroom blocks to address the problems of inadequate classrooms and other facilities such as toilets.

A visit to the school showed that the school has two newly built and well painted toilets, a water purification machine, and fans in all the classrooms, as well as adequate school furniture such as desks and chairs for pupils and teachers.

In Edo State, due to the change of government and management of other government agencies, there was no official to speak on the issue of the state’s ability or inability to access the UBEC grants.

The state under the immediate past administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki had been said to be in the forefront of provision of qualitative basic education through the Edo Best Education programme with digitised teaching and learning system in the school system.

Despite this, the administration was criticised for lack of adequate teaching staff in the basic education level. For instance, Obaseki’s administration was said to have engaged over 7,000 casual teachers under the Edo Star Teachers, but later recruited about 5,000 of the teachers a few days to the end of his administration.

Other reactions

Reacting to UBEC’s claim, the Chairman of Bayelsa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Victor Okubonanabo, said the state has only accessed its counterpart fund for 2023, but has yet to access that of 2024. Speaking to New Telegraph on phone, he explained: “The state is on a clear stand as we have accessed that of 2023.”

In his reaction to the issue, the Secretary of the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Johnson Hector, said that the state government’s non-payment of the state counterpart fund to access the UBEC matching grant has really affected the primary school system in the state. He said: “If they have not actually accessed this money, it will affect the school system. Now, we have a shortage of teachers in the primary school system.

The government just employed 200 teachers which is absolutely inadequate for the system. “Apart from shortage of teachers, there are other issues such as the issue of the minimum wage that the governor approved, but which has not been considered for the payment to primary school teachers in the system.

Again, contrary to the claim by UBEC, Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has also debunked such a report, insisting that the state is not among the 34 states that are yet to access their matching grant. This is as the Board insisted that the state government had already received its matching grant for 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Confirming the status of the state in accessing UBEC grant, an official of the state SUBEB pointed out that the state government has been paying its counterpart fund regularly which allowed it to access 2022 and 2023, while efforts are ongoing to receive the 2024 matching grant.

On the level of facilities and infrastructure development, some of the teachers, who spoke with our Correspondent, lamented that the basic education schools are faced with the challenges of shortage of teachers and grossly inadequate facilities.

The teachers, who did not mention their names for fear of being sanctioned, disclosed that “in most of the basic schools in the state there is lack of facilities and inadequate teacher supply especially for subjects such as English and Mathematics. Finding further revealed that some pupils sit on the bare floor to receive lessons due to inadequate furniture and other learning facilities in most classrooms.

“Despite the inadequate facilities, the few available ones are either being stolen or damaged by hoodlums, who usually removed and sold them to the second dealers, referred to as Bola Jari,” the teachers stated. They, however, called on the government to urgently nip in the bud such practice and bring the hoodlums to book by engaging additional security guards to look after the school properties.