UBEC Bans Partial School Renovations, Makes Fences, Boreholes, Solar Mandatory
UBEC Bans Partial School Renovations, Makes Fences, Boreholes, Solar Mandatory
One of the Digital Learning Centers at the Model Girls Junior Secondary School, AMAC Estate, FCT
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has said every school renovated by government must now have a fence, borehole, solar power and other basic facilities in line with its newly developed minimum standards for basic education infrastructure.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inspection tour of schools in the Federal Capital Territory, where she commissioned three blocks of 24 classrooms renovated at Nyanya Hausawa Basic, Junior and Secondary School and a digital learning centre at Model Girls Junior Secondary School, AMAC Estate.
She said the Commission has so far renovated 287 schools and over 4,000 classrooms across the country under its whole school approach, with more than 200 schools delivered through the model and over 2,000 digital learning centres established nationwide, including 74 commissioned in Abuja.
Garba said the inspection was carried out under the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu, whose directive, she noted, was clear that no child should be left behind regardless of location.
She said if a child is out of school, government must bring him back, and if he is in school, he must learn in a safe and conducive environment with 21st century technology.
According to her, UBEC has introduced minimum standards that must be complied with by UBEC, State Universal Basic Education Boards(SUBEBs) and Ministries of Education across the 36 states and the FCT.
She said the era of renovating only a window or providing a chair while hundreds of pupils sit on the floor is over.
Under the whole school approach, she explained, any renovation must address all gaps in a school, including classrooms, toilets, furniture, administrative blocks and learning materials.
She said the same standard applies to new constructions, stressing that government will no longer build one or two blocks of classrooms in isolation without security, toilets, admin blocks, playgrounds and technology components.
On digital learning, Garba said the digital centres being commissioned are fully equipped and not the previous practice where computers were supplied and left in cartons. B
She said each centre comes with computers installed in the laboratory, smart boards, solar panels, burglar proofing, printers, scanners, internet connectivity and online and offline content for both pupils and teachers, with trained teachers to deliver the content.
She said the Commission has made its intervention funds more accessible to enable states to replicate and scale up the model across local governments, adding that the reforms are being implemented under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmed.
Earlier, the Director of Physical Planning at UBEC, Ibrahim Nura, said the Nyanya school was among the intervention projects executed by the Commission nationwide.
He explained that the facility was in a state of serious decay before the intervention, with several components unfit for teaching and learning.
Nura said a needs assessment was carried out to identify the gaps before renovation works commenced, noting that the intervention has now transformed the school and improved facilities for pupils and teachers.
Also speaking, the Principal of the Junior Secondary School section of Nyanya Hausawa Basic and Secondary School, Gideon Isah, lauded UBEC for renovating the blocks and supplying furniture for staff and pupils alongside a solar-powered water system.
He recalled that the school was previously in a deplorable state, with some learners sitting on the bare floor due to lack of furniture.
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According to him, the facelift has boosted the morale of both teachers and learners and provided a more conducive atmosphere for learning.
Isah, however, appealed to the Commission to support the school with an administrative block, pointing out that the primary, junior and senior secondary arms currently operate without one.
He said the host community, working with the Parent-Teacher Association, has engaged three private security guards to safeguard the renovated facilities against vandalism, and assured UBEC that the school would ensure proper maintenance and judicious use of the facilities.
