The efforts of the leadership of two prominent government agencies , the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC and Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board NCDMB is the desire to move the country from analogue to digital era in line with the global trend, but also to address essentially the scourge of Out of School Children OOSC that was becoming a norm inspite concerted efforts by the commission.
Since Basic Education is the foundation to all levels of Education to be acquired by our pupils and students , the moves could be regarded as timely and desiring in the current dispensation.
The partnership and the concept of collaboration between UBEC and NCDMB consummated through a Memorandum of Understanding MOU is a spring board towards containing permanently not only the scourge of Out of School Children OOSC, but wholistic migration of the system from the old order to the new digital technology.
with the consummation driven by the current technological advancement and disposition with focus on Smart Schools and Education at the Basic Education level , it is glaringly obvious , that aside out of school children OOSC, Infrastructural development and rejuvenation, administrative reorientation and advancement, robust policy framework and thrust , and competitive approach towards Basic Education development in Nigeria became imperative.
With UBEC having laid a solid foundation for digitization and technological advancement with the creation of 37 Smart Schools spread across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory FCT, which included all the six geopolitical zones and the establishment of the state of the art Digital Resource Centre (DRC), for seamless interconnectivity, trainings, capacity building driven by new global program of digitization and technological breakthrough.
The robust foundation that brought about synergy between two government agencies with one having the financial flare of intervention has open a new chapter of more collaboration between other government agencies, the private sector and organizations , as well as well to do individuals to key into the development of Basic Education spanned from the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) to Senior Secondary Schools (SSS).
It is also an eye opener for other high profile government agencies and the private entities like the NNPCL, NMDPRA, NUPRC, NPA, NIMASA, CBN, TETFUND , NSPMC, PENCOM, NSITF, ITF, FIRS among many others including Multinational oil companies to key into the needed collaboration so as to broker similar Memorandum of Understanding MOU with Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC, to expand the scope of management of Basic Education beyond government sponsorship and attention.
Having discovered the scope of coverage by the NCDMB to access rural areas and communities, no doubt, the impact of the new policy of technology impact/ transfer will attract uniform approach both at the urban and rural communities in the country.
With focus on the vulnerable areas of the North, South, South East and the West of Lagos state with special attention due to high population figure and coverage , as well as more infrastructure and manpower to accelerate Basic Education and Out of School Children OOSC constraints.
The NCDMB – UBEC Smart Schools Development Initiative tagged NUSSDI , a new collaboration that is capable of bringing to fruition robust policy on Basic Education and removing the intricacies of problems and difficulties towards the development of a well articulated learning process and outcomes in the country.
The convening of the Memorandum of Understanding MOU under the leadership of Dr Hamid Bobboyi as the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC was another improvement to impacting Basic Education on Nigerians at that level.
*ABUBAKAR YUSUF writes from Abuja can be reached on [email protected].
