The Universal Basic Education Commission ,UBEC, has said it would boost the School-Based Management Committees,SBMCs, in basic education as part of its efforts.
to considerably reduce the high number of out-of-school children in the country.
This is coming as the number of out-of-school children in the country is estimated at over 10.5 million.
Outgoing Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, said this in Abuja,at the closing ceremony of the 2-day capacity building workshop for members of SBMCs from various states of the federation.
Nothing that UBEC acknowledged the significant role of SBMCs in improving enrollment of pupils and students as well as ensuring effective management of schools within their communities, he said the programme offered the opportunity to lay the foundation for establishing the national platform for SBMC operations in Nigeria.
Bobboyi said he believed that the two-day engagement would ultimately enhance the visibility and impact of SBMCs, thus making government officials, educators, and community members come together for an inclusive approach toward basic education.
"I am gladdened by the development and outcome of this meeting where participants have been trained on the rudiments of SBMC operations and are ready to take this further by selecting officers to serve as spearhead the formation of the national structure for SBMCs.
"To this end, UBEC has worked tirelessly in strengthening school communities in implementing the School Based Management principles and ensuring effective operations of SBMCs at the school level.
"UBEC's effort in this direction is intended to transform our schools into hubs of community engagement and empowerment," he stated.
Bobboyi added that through collaborative effort in the 2-day engagement, significant efforts has been made in improving knowledge of the decentralization practices in basic education delivery, the school-based management concept, and also laid a solid foundation for the national structure for SBMCs in Nigeria.
He reaffirmed the Commission's commitment to supporting SBMCs efforts and giving them the necessary backing for success, going further, noting that as stakeholders in building a better future for the children, there was the need to re-enforce the commitment to the ideals of the School Based Management System by working relentlessly to ensure that every child in Nigeria gets access to quality education.
Earlier in his remarks,the Director, Social Mobilisation of UBEC, Dr. Ossom Ossom, said school based management committees were critical stakeholders in improving quality and inclusiveness of Universal Basic Education, UBEC delivery.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He expressed his excitement and satisfaction with the vision to establish a national body with the SBMC chairmen across the country.
According to him, over the years, the commission has observed numerous organizations working at the grassroots level.
"And from this, it has concluded that if SBMCs can function effectively at the grassroots, they could certainly succeed at the national level, " he said.
