Bpy Chimezie Godfrey
The Federal Govt has described as regrettable, the inability of some states of the Federation in accessing counterpart funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for developing primary education in their States.
Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, who stated this at this year’s 65th National Council on Education meeting in Jalingo, Taraba State, said, over One Hundred and Thirty Billion Naira (#130,000,000,000)in UBEC custody is still unutilized due to the inability of states to provide their 50 precent counterpart funds.
Speaking through the Minister of State for Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the Minister said, the affected states need to reprioritize basic education as it is the bedrock for further and continuing education, too strategic to be ignored.
Emphasizing the need for co-operation from the states, Adamu Adamu said the tasks of developing education at all levels, securing our children and ensuring basic sanitation in our schools requires that all hands must be on deck to achieve the desired results.
Also speaking at the ocassion in a goodwill message, Former Deputy Governor of Plateau state and current Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen called for greater stakeholder cooperation in the efforts to eradicate the out of school children phenomenon,adding that no child should be left behind.
The President, Association of Proprietors of private schools, Evangelist Ajibade Augustine stated that members of the Association are more than ever before determined to take more children off the streets in their efforts at eradicating the out of school children phenomenon.
