- UBEC Executive Secretary Aisha Garba launched the Learners Support Programme in Benue, declaring that no Nigerian child should be excluded from basic education
- The initiative provided for the nationwide distribution of 1,155,900 school kits to vulnerable pupils to boost enrolment and retention
- Garba praised Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration and highlighted infrastructure upgrades and grant access reforms aimed at strengthening basic education delivery
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, has declared that no Nigerian child should be excluded from access to basic education, as she flagged off the national rollout of the Learners Support Programme in Benue State.
Garba made the declaration on Friday at the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Basic Education Summit in Makurdi, describing the initiative as a decisive intervention aimed at tackling Nigeria’s persistent out-of-school crisis.
The summit, themed ‘Innovative Strategies for Addressing the Menace of Out-of-School Children: Enhancing Enrolment and Retention of Children in Basic Schools,’ drew government officials, lawmakers, development partners, teachers, parents and community leaders.
“This isn’t just a policy update; it is a solemn promise that no child, regardless of their geography or background, will be left behind,” Garba said.
She commended the leadership of Benue State under Governor Hyacinth Alia and SUBEB Chairman Grace Adagba for what she described as landmark efforts to confront one of Nigeria’s most urgent national challenges.
“The summit’s theme directly confronts one of Nigeria’s most pressing issues. Millions of our children are still denied their fundamental right to education, as guaranteed by the Universal Basic Education Act of 2004,” she stated.
Garba explained that Benue was deliberately chosen for the national launch due to its commitment to improving service delivery in the basic education sector.
Under the Learners Support Programme, UBEC will oversee the nationwide distribution of 1,155,900 school kits, comprising 288,975 units each of school bags, sandals, pencils and exercise books. The intervention is targeted at vulnerable children from low-income households, with the aim of easing financial burdens and boosting enrolment, retention and progression in schools.
She also highlighted reforms within UBEC that have improved access to matching grants by more than 80 per cent nationwide. Benue, she noted, is up to date in accessing and effectively utilising its grants.
Infrastructure investments in the state include the construction of 39 new classrooms, 50 toilets, 15 offices, five libraries, five ICT laboratories and five Early Childhood Care and Development Education centres. Additionally, 182 classrooms and other facilities have been renovated, while thousands of pupils and teachers have received furniture support.
Through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme, 13,670 community-priority projects have been executed, backed by over ₦1.5bn in first-tranche funding to 1,142 schools, with an anticipated impact on more than 430,000 learners.
Garba stressed that government action alone would not resolve the crisis, calling for stronger community mobilisation, improved security in vulnerable schools, technology-driven enrolment tracking and expanded incentives for girl-child education.
“Combating out-of-school children requires bold innovation, urgent action and genuine collaboration,” she said.
Despite the Universal Basic Education Act guaranteeing nine years of free and compulsory education, millions of Nigerian children—particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas—remain outside the formal school system, hindered by poverty, insecurity and weak infrastructure.