Janet, Samuel, Abuja
In an effort to boost Basic education in Nigeria, the Bill for the amendment of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Act to increase its funding from the consolidated revenue from 2% to 4% has passed the second reading in the House Representatives.
The Chairman House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Honourable Bako Useni made this known during the committee oversight function to inspect the newly bult Digital Resource Center by UBEC for teachers training in Abuja.
Honourable Bako who noted that the present Assembly saw the need to increase financial resources of the Basic education sub-sector to meet up their objectives hence the amendment bill sponsored by Honourable Muktar Shagaya to increase revenue accruing to UBEC from 2% to 4%.
“The amendment bill which passed the second reading Wednesday when concluded will make UBEC stronger.
“Since UBEC was established in 2004 to date, a lot has been achieved. However, the House felt that if UBEC is motivated with more funding, it will go a long way in achieving more of what it has achieved.
“It was on this basis that one of us, Honourable Mukhtar Shagaya proposed an amendment to the UBEC Act to increase funding to UBEC from 2% to 4%/from the consolidated revenue fund.
The lawmaker expressed the committee’s happiness with the effort of UBEC in the building the digital center base on the technological advancement in the world, which has always been the dream of the committee to upgrade the bacic education sector in Nigeria to meet up with the world standard, promised to ensure continuous oversight function for its sustainability.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the UBEC, Dr Hameed Bobboyi said the center is an effort to move digital education in Nigeria to the next level, stressing that it was gladdening to have taken the House Committee members on a tour of the facilities of the center, which includes: the digital Museum, Library, Artificial Intelligence Center, the Studio, Micro-labs, lecture hall and, accommodation among others.
He said that the facility will provide new learning experience to the teachers on the new pedagogy, saying, “we brought in many teachers, school administrators, and quality assurance officers.
Bobboyi noted that, the digital resource center will coordinate the Smart schools spread across the country to aid digital learning in the nation adding that it will also be used to reshape those in the senior/management cadre of the basic education sub-sector.
Earlier in his welcome address, National Coordinator of the Digital Resource Centre, Professor Bashir Galandanci who welcome the lawmakers for the oversight function. said the Digital Resource Center is part of the effort of the commission to transform the agency into a digital era to meet up with the present requirements in the world.
