The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in line with its mandate to improve basic education throughout the country, has organised a two-day Capacity Building Workshop For SUBEB Directors of Social Mobilisation and UBEC Social Mobilisation Officers.
Speaking at the workshop held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 in Abuja,
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi disclosed that it was part of joint efforts to address key issues facing the UBE programme.
Bobboyi who was represented by the Deputy Director Technical, Prof. Bala Zakari informed that the annual capacity building workshop for Directors of Social Mobilisation from the 36 State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and FCT UBEB, as well as UBEC Social Mobilization Officers, was an avenue for them to share experiences and chart a way forward for improved UBE service delivery in the new year and beyond.
He added that this was part of, “joint efforts at addressing key issues in respect of the UBE programme implementation and providing the expected conducive environment for Nigeria’s school-aged population to acquire functional basic education”.
Speaking further, the UBEC Helmsman averred that, “the UBE programme seeks to ensure unhindered access to quality basic education for every Nigerian child regardless of gender, socio-economic background or geographical location.
“…this ideal can only be attained if all stakeholders commit to ensuring that UBE activities are well planned, implemented, and sustained at the Federal, State, and Local Government levels, in line with the peculiarities of the needs of specific classes of learners in each domain”.
Bobboyi reaffirmed that the success of the UBE programme depended on the joint efforts of all stakeholders and the effective collaboration between critical segments of the society especially those that were key to the attainment of the ideals and set objectives of universalising basic education across the country.
To this end, he stressed that deliberate efforts be made towards ensuring that all stakeholders particularly the beneficiaries of UBE services, fully understand, accept, and support government’s initiatives in the programme implementation.
According to the UBEC Boss, achieving success in this endeavor demanded among others, consensus building, effective partnerships, and synergies across all segments of the UBE delivery processes.
Speaking further, he reminded them that securing the commitment of stakeholders and all segments of society for effective UBE delivery services required very efficient and vibrant social mobilisation initiatives.
Therefore, as part of this process, stakeholders must be consulted regularly and given significant opportunities to make useful contributions to the attainment of UBE set goals.
He added that, beyond initiating consultations with stakeholders in UBE programme implementation, the enormity of UBE demands and obligations point to the compelling need for continuous sensitisation and mobilisation for the sustainability of the good practices recorded in programme implementation.
“To this end, UBEC appreciates the seriousness and the great importance of the Social Mobilization apparatus and yearly provides an opportunity for core
personnel to be trained and encouraged to be at their very best for improved
service delivery.
“You will agree with me that only competent and skilled officials can successfully coordinate and provide the desired leadership in the implementation of essential UBE delivery programmes like Advocacy. Sensitization and Mobilization campaigns, School Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP), the Open Schooling Programme, (OSP), Effective School Programme (ESP), UBE Partnerships, Enrolment Drive, Out-of-School Children related interventions, and other key reform initiatives that UBEC is hosting.
“Therefore, UBEC is hosting this capacity building workshop as a deliberate plan to further sharpen your skills and challenge the effective deployment of your inert potentials as chief advocates and mobilizers for quality basic education delivery especially at the State and grassroots level”, he said.
Bobboyi further stated that UBEC was optimistic that the outcomes of the meeting and the strategic directions that would be charted as part of the engagement, would further encourage them to carry out their functions, especially in the key areas of sensitisation, advocacy, mobilisation, and renewed partnership efforts.
He also reiterated UBEC’s desire for improved capacity and partnership especially with SUBEBs for effective UBE programme implementation and in line with the overriding objective of supporting and ensuring the achievement of the Federal Government’s goal in education service delivery.
