UBEC Unveils New Template to Unlock N68bn Dormant Education Funds

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has emphasized the urgent need for a simplified and effective template for preparing work plans, to replace the outdated version in use for over ten years.

The Commission called on policy implementers to adopt the revised Basic Education Action Plan template, designed to eliminate bottlenecks that have prevented states from accessing about N68 billion in idle funds meant to improve basic education across Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, made this known in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for Directors and Desk Officers of South-South States’ Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs). She explained that the new template, officially introduced in Makurdi on May 25, 2025, promotes results-based planning and strengthens financial accountability.

Represented by her Special Assistant, Ibrahim Gold, Garba noted that systemic inefficiencies and complexities in the previous process had hindered states from meeting requirements to access the intervention funds. She stressed that the workshop was part of ongoing reforms to strengthen work plan development and tackle Nigeria’s education challenges, including poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and alarming dropout rates. UNICEF estimates that 18.3 million Nigerian children are currently out of school, the highest figure globally.