The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has said the $552.18 million World Bank-supported Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE-EDU) programme will target 29 million children, 500,000 teachers, 65,000 public schools and 10,000 non-formal learning centres nationwide.
It said the programme also targets the construction of 13,000 new classrooms as part of efforts to expand access to quality basic education, improve learning outcomes and strengthen education delivery, particularly for children in underserved communities.
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, disclosed this in Abuja, at a two-day meeting with chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) on implementation readiness for the programme.
She urged state governments to demonstrate the political will and financial commitment required to achieve the programme’s objectives, warning that its success would depend largely on effective implementation and compliance with agreed performance targets.
Garba said HOPE-EDU became effective on February 27, 2026, and had entered its implementation phase. “It will adopt a results-based financing model under which funds are disbursed based on the achievement of agreed targets and performance indicators,” she explained.
She further stated that the programme was designed to improve learning outcomes, increase equitable access to basic education and strengthen governance and accountability in the education sector.
“It builds on the Universal Basic Education programme and complements other government interventions aimed at improving governance and human capital development,” she added.
Garba explained that HOPE-EDU has three major result areas: improving the quality of basic education, expanding access to education and strengthening key systems.
She said $262.239 million had been allocated to improving education quality, $123.9 million to expanding access, and $133.611 million to strengthening key systems.
The first result area is open to 33 states, with the possibility of extending participation to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, subject to participation in the HOPE-GOV operations.
The second result area targets 15 states with the highest populations of out-of-school children that also meet other eligibility requirements, while the third is open to all 36 states and the FCT.
The UBEC boss said the programme would place emphasis on improving teaching quality, providing essential learning resources and raising pupils’ learning achievement.
She added that it would promote the adoption of the Structured Pedagogy Programme (SPP) to improve the teaching of literacy and numeracy in primary schools.
However, Garba stressed that achieving the targets would require effective coordination among state ministries of education, SUBEBs, Local Education Authorities, schools and School-Based Management Committees.
She particularly urged SUBEB chairmen to brief their respective state governors and other relevant authorities on the programme to secure the policy direction, budgetary support and institutional commitment needed for implementation.
She emphasised the importance of the 2027 state budgets, explaining that several disbursement-linked indicators required states to make adequate financial provisions for programme activities.
According to her, many deliverables scheduled for the first year of implementation would depend on the inclusion of relevant activities and allocations in the 2027 budgets. “A lot of the deliverables for Year 1 will require provisions in the states’ 2027 budget,” she said.
She therefore urged the SUBEB chairmen to ensure that the programme’s implementation requirements were communicated promptly to their respective state executives to facilitate the necessary budgetary commitments.
Earlier, the Programme Manager of HOPE-EDU, Mr Olumayowa Aleshin, presented an overview of the initiative, outlining its funding structure, implementation targets and key milestones.
He said the programme’s implementation framework requires participating states to meet specified performance targets and verification requirements before qualifying for corresponding disbursements.
Meanwhile, the initiative is expected to support improvements in teaching and learning, widen educational opportunities for underserved populations and strengthen the systems required to deliver quality basic education across Nigeria.
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