Jane Salihu
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development to mobilise traditional and religious leaders in the drive to enrol out-of-school children and improve school attendance across Nigeria.
The partnership, formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), is aimed at strengthening grassroots participation in education by engaging community leaders to identify children who are not in school, facilitate their enrolment and encourage families to ensure regular attendance and completion.
Under the agreement, national, state and local coordinating committees will be established to drive advocacy and community mobilisation, with traditional and religious institutions expected to play central roles in addressing social, cultural and economic barriers to basic education.
The initiative will also involve the production and distribution of advocacy materials in Hausa, Fulfulde and Yoruba, household-level identification of out-of-school children, and collaboration with communities to monitor pupils’ attendance, retention and completion.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Akinyemi, at the MoU signing ceremony, said the partnership would strengthen the connection between government education policies and grassroots action, particularly in underserved communities.
She explained that traditional and religious leaders remained critical to expanding access to education because of their influence in shaping community values, influencing family decisions and mobilising support for children’s education.
Garba particularly highlighted their role in promoting girls’ education and addressing cultural and social barriers that prevent children from accessing learning opportunities.
She said the success of the partnership would be measured by increased school enrolment, improved attendance and retention, better learning outcomes and a sustained reduction in the number of out-of-school children.
The Executive Secretary also disclosed that UBEC, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), had facilitated the construction of more than 4,900 classrooms and the renovation of existing school facilities across the country.
According to her, the interventions also include the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, with more than 2.3 million learners benefiting directly from the infrastructure projects by the end of 2025.
She added that the Commission had continued to implement community-driven school improvement programmes and teacher professional development initiatives to strengthen school management and improve teaching and learning outcomes.
Garba said the interventions were part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to improve basic education through infrastructure investment, teacher development and strategic partnerships.
She acknowledged the policy direction of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, noting that their efforts to strengthen institutional coordination and expand access to inclusive education continued to guide UBEC’s programmes.
She, however, stressed that government investment alone would not be sufficient to address the challenges confronting basic education without stronger community ownership and the active involvement of stakeholders.
In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida, who represented Governor Nasir Idris, commended the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development for its contributions to health and social development, particularly interventions supported by development partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He said the Kebbi State Government appreciated the Foundation’s efforts towards improving the welfare and educational opportunities of vulnerable children, describing its support for disadvantaged children as consistent with the values of Islam and humanity.
Tafida also conveyed the goodwill of Governor Idris to UBEC, the Sultan Foundation and the Nasara Foundation.
Garba assured that UBEC would sustain its collaboration with state governments, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to consolidate ongoing education reforms and improve access to quality basic education.
She maintained that the partnership with the Sultan Foundation would strengthen community participation in education and support the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure that every Nigerian child has the opportunity to access and complete basic education.
