Over 700,000 out-of-school children have been reintegrated into classrooms across Nigeria, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has announced. Executive Secretary Aisha Garba disclosed the figure in Abuja during a learning materials distribution event for FCT public basic schools, organized by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) in partnership with UBEC. She attributed the achievement to collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and all 37 State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), including the FCT. Garba stated that UBEC's interventions have focused on infrastructure, teacher training, pedagogy, and provision of teaching aids and digital tools.
Nationwide, UBEC has distributed 15 million learning support kits, over 400,000 library materials, and 100,000 instructional materials to Integrated Quranic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE) centres. Smart boards, tablets, and desktop computers have also been supplied to schools. In the FCT, about 140,000 items including textbooks, teacher resource packs, and digital aids were distributed, expected to benefit at least 10,000 pupils. Garba emphasized that education is central to national development and urged the FCT Administration to consistently release counterpart funds to sustain and expand the gains.
Aisha Garba's announcement of 700,000 out-of-school children returned to classrooms hinges on funding continuity that past cycles have not guaranteed. The distribution of 15 million learning kits sounds expansive, but without verified data on actual classroom retention, the long-term impact remains uncertain. If counterpart funds from the FCT and states lag, today's milestone risks becoming tomorrow's abandoned project. For pupils in public schools, the real test is whether these materials and promises outlast the event's headlines.
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