kiti State Deputy Governor Prof. Modupe Adelabu has inaugurated an enlarged State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
The board includes representatives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT); Parent/Teacher Association (PTA); Association of Primary School Headteachers of Nigeria; and ministries of Justice; Education, Science and Technology.
The deputy governor said the enlarged board would to promote efficiency in the administration of basic education.
The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB) has launched its School Based Management Committees (SBMC) guide books, policy pamphlets and stickers.
The occasion held under the chairmanship of the Education Commissioner, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye.
At the event, the Lagos SUBEB Chairman, Mrs Gbolahan Daodu said the SBMC was conceptualised following the 53rd meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE) in Calabar, Cross River State in November 2006 in which the SUBEBS were mandated to provide conducive learning and child-friendly school environment for children, while ensuring that community fully owns the schools by attracting positive response from members.
Mrs Daodu commended SBMC activities which she said have transformed various public schools in the state.
“For instance,” Daodu said, “it (SBMC) has mobilised funds for the support of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC 2007) Self-Help projects in 86 schools and 51 schools; provided support for head teachers to enhance school administration, provision of some infrastructures as classrooms, toilets and water needed in some schools, engaged in enrolment campaigns and security of lives and properties among others.”
She said the publications would assist members in running SBMC.
“The guide is designed to enable SBMC members to learn how to run a school based management organisation based on the state policy on this committee.
The overall purpose of this policy is to achieve effective decentralisation of management of primary, junior and secondary schools in Lagos state towards attaining the goal of free and qualitative education,” Daodu added.
Universal Basic Education (UBE) books, produced by the Federal Government and meant to be distributed free to pupils in every state, are being sold in the open market in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
Investigations by our reporter showed that the books, which are customised UBE/FGN book and marked not for sale, are being sold and teachers have asked parents to go and buy the books.
A mother, who gave her name as Maureen, said she was given a list of books to buy for her children.
“After collecting money from my husband, I went to the market to buy, ‘Pupil Book 1 UBE Edition Learn Mathematics for Primary Schools’, which I paid N1,100 for.”
Maureen said she went to the market last Friday. “But I was told that some of the books are not available and was advised to come back on Monday and when I got to the market I bought the books marked not for sale.”
However, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Micah Onyebuchi, said the books being sold are not meant for Abia schools.
Onyebuchi said the books from UBE, which are meant for the state are sent to his office directly and they have distributed such books to the schools.
The ASUBEB boss told the reporter to report to security agencies, instead of coming to his office.
•Approves new council chief
The Oyo State House of Assembly has summoned the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Busari Adebisi, to appear at its next sitting to explain why he has been absent from the house.
The motion was yesterday moved by Mr. Farintan Fakorede, who said it was embarrassing that Adebisi failed to honour the House’s invitations.
The Speaker, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, told the clerk to send a reminder to the SUBEB boss.
The Assembly passed the Oyo State Bonds, Notes and other Securities Issuance Bill into law.
The law will ensure prudent management of bonds and give the Assembly the right to receive quarterly reports from the commissioner of Finance.
The Assembly approved the appointment of Mr. Olatunbosun Wasiu as the caretaker chairman of Olorunsogo Local Government.
The Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on Tuesday sacked 2,000 Grade II teachers on its payroll.
The Chairman of the board, Mrs. Lyop Mang, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that the affected teachers failed to upgrade their certificates to National Certificate of Education (NCE).
“They had to go because they failed to upgrade their certificates to National Certificate of Education (NCE), being the minimum requirement for teachers in primary school nationwide.
“The were among the 7,000 teachers that were asked to improve upon their status, but failed to do so five years after they were given the opportunity.
“Government had made up its mind to do away with them. More teachers would follow, as investigation is ongoing to fish out all unqualified teachers from schools, “she said.
The SUBEB boss also disclosed that recent investigation by the board revealed that some teachers were suspected to be involved in certificate forgery.
“Our investigation revealed that out of 1,299 teachers who claimed to be graduates of the College of Education, Gindiri, only eight of them were found to be on the graduate list.
“This means that 1,291 of them had no business whatsoever with the college,’’ she said.
The chairman told NAN that the board had commenced recruitment to fill vacant teaching positions in the state.
She said the board had already conducted written examination for 6,066 applicants out of which 3,058 had passed the second stage of interview.
According to her, the number to be employed would be determined by the number of teachers that would be lay-off eventually.
Other determinants are total number of pupils in every school, the total number of classrooms, as well as the total number of teachers on ground.
“We have directed all the education secretaries in the 17 local government councils to provide us with these data,” she added.
The Zamfara House of Assembly has ordered Alhaji Murtala Jangebe, the Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), to refund N747.2million to the board’s accounts.
The order was contained in a report presented to the House on Monday by a special committee set up to investigate the operation and financial activities of SUBEB.
The committee said the amount was allegedly misappropriated from the SUBEC account by the chairman.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee was set up in the wake of allegations of high profile fraud that rocked the board in the last two years.
The committee further recommended the prosecution of Jangebe and all those found guilty in the scam for what it called “criminal disregard for laid down financial regulations“.
The report, a copy of which was made available to NAN, was unanimously adopted by the House.
The committee, led by Alhaji Aliyu Kagara, representing Mafara 11 constituency, told the House that after investigations, it was discovered that the board, under the leadership of Jangebe, had been operating 15 separate accounts with different banks.
He said the committee audited seven out of the 15 accounts with the assistance of the state auditor general as a co-opted member in order to give its findings a professional touch.
It added that under the “pensions account“ operated by the board in Eco Bank, the chairman allegedly made illegal expenditure of N148.6million without the consent of the board or approval of the Governor.
“The chairman also deliberately went ahead, without the resolution of the board’s permanent members and approval of Governor, to divert N100million out of pensions funds to a fixed account.
“This is indeed a serious financial misuse of public funds as stated by pension reform act of 2004,’’ the report said.
The committee further revealed that under the “salary account` of the board operated with the UBA, it discovered illegal expenditure of N65.7million.
An example of such payments, the committee added, was the N8.6million paid to one Sani Mailafiya as “miscellaneous expenditure” without any supportive document.
“These expenditures covered payments made without vouchers and other necessary supportive documents,’’ it said.
The report said the chairman also furnished the committee with an inflated monthly salary expenditure of education authorities in 14 local government areas as N284.4million.
“After scrutiny by our committee, it was discovered that the actual monthly salary payments to all 14 local government LEA staff is N264.6million, leaving a difference of N19.7million,’’ it stated.
“It was discovered that after auditing all teaching and non-teaching staff under SUBEB in October 2011, the sum of N14.9million was recovered as left over but the amount was diverted for personal use by the chairman.”
The report also stated that it discovered unaccounted expenditure of N378.1million under the “Teachers’ Profession Account“ operated in Sterling Bank.
It was revealed that “out of the N150 million received by SUBEB from UBEC in 2011 as training funds between October and December 2011, the chairman made several withdrawals from the account to the tune of N145million without vouchers and other supportive documents.”
The committee further said that out of N140 million training funds received by SUBEB from UBEC in 2012, N132million was withdrawn under false claim of training 265 education managers.
“The Director of Primary Education testified before the committee that no training was conducted; rather the money was misappropriated without justifiable reasons.
“The committee also observed that the Chairman, Zamfara state SUBEB connived with the Director Primary Education and transferred N72.3million in to his personal account no 2014082999 with First bank,’’ the report said.
Other accounts where fraud was uncovered include UNICEF and ETF intervention accounts under which the sums of N41.2million and N42.7million respectively were alleged to have been misappropriated.
The chairman was also indicted by the committee for non remittance of about N20million as revenues accrued from contracts tax and deductions for National Housing Fund, Zakkat and others into the board’s account.
“Due to excessive misappropriation and misconduct of public funds entrusted upon the present Chairman, Murtala Jangebe, the committee does not have trust in him to administer the Zamfara state Universal Basic Education Board,’’ the report added.
“As a result, the committee recommends that prosecution be made for criminal disregard to laid down financial regulations for all those found guilty through the state attorney general.’’