UBEC Adopts Whole-School Approach, Renovates 287 Schools Across Nigeria

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has renovated 287 schools and more than 4,000 classrooms across Nigeria under a new approach that focuses on developing entire school facilities.

The commission said the strategy would move interventions beyond classroom construction to create more complete learning environments for pupils and teachers.

UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while commissioning renovated facilities at the Local Education Authority (LEA)/Junior Secondary School, Nyanya-Hausawa and Model Girls’ Junior Secondary School, Lugbe.

Garba said UBEC now considers classrooms, toilets, water, electricity, administrative facilities and learning resources when planning school interventions.

She said the approach would ensure that schools receiving government support have the basic facilities needed for effective teaching and learning.

“Under the Renewed Hope agenda, President Bola Tinubu has mandated us that all children, regardless of where they are, should be in school and we should make sure that schools are in conducive environment for learning,” Garba said.

She added that the commission had introduced minimum standards for new school infrastructure.

The standards include perimeter fencing, security facilities, solar power, boreholes, toilets, classrooms, administrative blocks and playgrounds.

UBEC is also adding computer and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratories and smart boards to some projects.

Garba said the move would help prepare Nigerian children for the demands of modern education and the global economy.

The Nyanya-Hausawa school became one of the beneficiaries after UBEC found several parts of the facility in poor condition.

The school accommodates Early Childhood Care and Development, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary sections.

The current project covers three blocks containing about 30 classrooms and 48 toilets. It also includes solar-powered boreholes.

The boreholes now supply water to the toilets, while UBEC plans to provide an administrative block for the school.

Garba also commissioned one of 74 digital learning centres established under the latest intervention.

She said the commission had established more than 2,000 digital learning centres under the Tinubu administration.

According to her, the centres have computers, smart boards, solar panels, printers, scanners and internet connectivity.

They also provide online and offline learning materials for teachers and students.

Garba said UBEC was training teachers to use the equipment and digital content effectively.

Earlier, the Director of Physical Planning at UBEC, Ibrahim Nura, said the Nyanya-Hausawa school was among the commission’s intervention projects nationwide.

Nura said the school had suffered severe deterioration before UBEC began the rehabilitation.

He explained that the commission first assessed the condition of the school to determine the facilities it needed.

The intervention has since improved the learning environment and provided better facilities for pupils, students and teachers.

The school’s Junior Section Principal, Gideon Isah, commended UBEC for renovating the classrooms and providing furniture for staff and students.

He also praised the commission for installing the solar-powered water system.

Isah recalled that some pupils previously sat on bare floors because the school lacked enough furniture.

He said the rehabilitation had improved the morale of teachers and students.

“The rehabilitation has given both teachers and students a new lease of life and created a more conducive environment for learning,” he said.

However, Isah appealed to UBEC to provide an administrative block for the school.

He said the primary, junior secondary and senior secondary sections currently operate without one.

The principal also disclosed that the community, in partnership with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), had employed three security personnel to protect the renovated facilities.

He assured UBEC that the school community would maintain the facilities and ensure that they serve their intended purpose.