UBEC Backs Delta’s Teacher Tracking System for Nationwide Basic Education Reform

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has identified Delta State’s technology-driven teacher attendance monitoring system, Attend360, as a model that could help strengthen teacher accountability and improve learning outcomes across Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, said the platform demonstrated how technology could be deployed to address one of the fundamental challenges facing basic education — ensuring that teachers are present and actively engaged in classrooms.

Garba spoke during a courtesy visit to the Delta State Government, represented by Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, as part of activities marking the 30th Quarterly Meeting of UBEC Management with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Asaba.

The meeting, themed “Repositioning Basic Education in Nigeria to Optimise Investment and Impact,” brought UBEC management and SUBEB chairmen from across the country together to examine ways of making education investments deliver greater impact.

Garba said Delta was chosen to host the meeting because of some of the progress recorded by the state in education, particularly its adoption of technology for school management, teacher attendance and accountability.

She stressed that the presence and effectiveness of teachers remained central to achieving quality learning, regardless of the amount invested in physical infrastructure.

“There is no education or quality learning without a good teacher or without a teacher in the classroom. You can build as many schools as you want, but as long as there is no teacher, and a good teacher, in the classroom, learning will not take place,” Garba said.

She said the Attend360 system could provide useful lessons for other states seeking practical ways to improve monitoring of teachers and ensure that investments in basic education translate into better classroom outcomes.

Beyond teacher accountability, the UBEC chief called for stronger investment in basic education and more effective utilisation of funds already available to states.

She commended Delta for its record in accessing the Universal Basic Education (UBE) matching grants, noting that the state had accessed its allocation up to 2025 and remained among the states making progress in basic education.

Garba, however, urged the state government to ensure that available UBEC resources were fully utilised and approved programmes implemented without unnecessary delays.

She said education funding should ultimately be reflected in improved infrastructure, better teaching and measurable improvements in pupils’ learning.

The UBEC executive secretary also encouraged Delta to take advantage of the education component of the HOPE Education Programme, a World Bank-supported intervention with up to $500 million earmarked for education.

She explained that states seeking to benefit from the programme would be required to access the 2026 matching grant and implement at least 50 per cent of their 2025 Action Plan.

Garba urged Delta to sustain its investment in education, maximise available funding and make use of UBEC’s technical support to strengthen implementation.

Responding, Onyeme assured UBEC that the Delta State Government would continue to improve the education sector and expand access to quality education.

The deputy governor clarified that the state’s latest records showed that about N1 billion, rather than N8 billion, remained unutilised.

He also disclosed that Delta had implemented about 90 per cent of its 2025 Action Plan and had already received its 2026 matching grant.

Onyeme described education as one of the state’s major areas of investment and pledged continued commitment to improving its performance.

“We will continue to improve and do our best to ensure that we give education to as many citizens as possible,” he said.

Garba also visited the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Azinge, where she sought stronger collaboration between traditional institutions, government and education agencies in advancing basic education.

She said traditional institutions had an important role to play in supporting education initiatives, particularly those aimed at reaching children in communities.

According to her, UBEC’s central objective is to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to quality basic education irrespective of location, family background or economic circumstances.

“Our goal is to ensure that every Nigerian child, regardless of their circumstances or where they live, whether they come from a poor family or a rich family, must have the opportunity to receive quality basic education,” she said.

Garba acknowledged the Asagba’s support for education initiatives in Delta, including efforts relating to smart schools, and urged traditional rulers to continue supporting government efforts to improve learning opportunities.

Azinge described basic education as the foundation upon which the country’s future is built, noting that it is at the basic level that children are nurtured, trained and prepared for later challenges.

He stressed that the quality of teachers in primary schools would ultimately determine the quality of citizens produced by the education system.

“If you have quality teachers, you produce quality people,” the monarch said.

The Asagba urged UBEC and SUBEB chairmen to confront the challenges affecting basic education and develop practical solutions capable of producing lasting improvements.

He also called for greater attention to children with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, insisting that no child should be excluded from access to basic education.

Garba said the engagements in Delta had reinforced the need to move beyond discussions about education funding to ensuring that investments, technology and policy interventions produce tangible improvements in classrooms.

She assured Nigerians that UBEC would continue to work with state governments, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to provide the technical support required to strengthen basic education across the country.