Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
VICE President, Yemi Osinbajo, has called on state governments to give priority to basic education by making funds available.
He said the federal government would be working with states to enable them to access the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds that will enable them (states) to build schools and equip them appropriately.
Osinbajo said the federal government had made arrangements to support the states by budgeting N112.47 billion for UBEC.
He spoke in Abuja during the 2019 Nigeria Annual Education Conference with the theme: “Education for sustainable livelihoods: A system approach to strengthening the sector for productivity and global competitiveness.”
The conference was organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the British Council and other development partners.
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Prof. Osinbajo noted that the role of the Federal Government in the first nine years of a child’s life was minimal as this was the constitutional role and responsibility of both states and local governments.
The vice president said: “States simply have to prioritize basic education by making more funding available. Every person must have basic education at the very least. It is an existential issue. It is about the future of the citizens of every state.
“However, the Federal Government considers that it has crucial roles to play, especially to guide, inspire, coordinate, co-fund and complement the basic education strategy. And this must be so as this is important in the human capital development outcomes of the country.
“Fortunately, we already have arrangements to support state governments in this area through the funds made available to UBEC as a first line charge in the budget. The budgeted amount for UBEC in 2019 was N112.47 billion.”
UN and the Nigerian government, a copy of which he presented to the vice president.
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