The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) met with critical stakeholders to put finishing touches to a new policy on Public/Private Engagement Partnership (PPEP) to boost basic education in the country.
The two-day engagement meeting, which was held in Lagos and in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), also attracted Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), representatives of private sector, non-state actors and others to produce a new blueprint on PPEP.
In her speech, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, said government retains the primary responsibility for the provision, regulation, and oversight of basic education and that the scale and complexity of the challenges facing the sector require the collective commitment, expertise, resources, and innovation of a wide range of stakeholders.
Garba who was represented by UBEC acting Head of PPEP, Abdulmumini Abdulsalam, disclosed that the basic education is faced with the realities of a high number of out-of-school children, infrastructure deficits, inadequate supply of qualified teachers, and increasing pressure on limited public resources.
“Against this backdrop, it is imperative that we explore and leverage the vast opportunities that exist through strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement to bridge these gaps and accelerate progress towards the attainment of quality basic education for all,” she stated.
According to her, the Commission has continued to engage a wide range of partners including the organized private sector, development partners, civil society organizations and other non-state actors in support of basic education, which has produced valuable interventions in areas such as school infrastructure, teacher development, learning materials.
Garba acknowledged the invaluable contributions of partners who have walked with the Commission on the PPEP from developing stage, reviewing, critiquing and the finalization stage.
She commended UNICEF, the Federal Ministry of Education, sister agencies, Solina Group, resource persons, USPF, private sector, civil society organizations, SUBEBs and revealed that their commitment and expertise was instrumental in bringing the PPEP to the finalization process.
Her words: “In the past, partnerships at UBEC have been ad-hoc, driven by goodwill but without a clear guideline on how private sector, philanthropists, foundations and international partners can plug in, what is expected of them, how we ensure accountability, transparency and alignment with the UBE Act and our 10-year roadmap.
“This framework we are finalizing is not simply another policy document, it is intended to provide a common direction and practical structure for how government and private-sector actors can work together to address identified challenges in basic education.”
Garba observed that the task before the participants is not to start afresh, but to critically examine the draft, interrogate it and ensure that it is practical, implementable and responsive to the realities of schools across the country.
She explained that the finalized framework will be presented to the Minister of Education and the UBEC Board for approval and formal launch, after which it will serve as the official guiding document for partnership initiatives within UBEC and the SUBEBs.
Garba added: “This innovation will usher in a new era of structured and accountable collaboration, ensuring that every contribution, whether financial, technical, or material, is strategically harnessed and optimized to advance the delivery of quality basic education across the country.”
Earlier, the acting Head of UBEC PPEP, Abdulmumini Abdulsalam, said the gathering was meant to ensure the policy document is practical, effective, and responsible to the realities of basic education delivery in the country.
Abdulsalam who was represented by Ebire Agada, explained that the draft framework is a strategic instrument for strengthening collaboration between government, the private sector, development partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
He noted that the government alone cannot address the challenges of providing quality, accessible, equitable, and inclusive basic education, thus the need to build partnership that can mobilize additional resources, introduce innovative solutions, strengthen capacity, and support interventions in areas where critical gaps exist.
The head of PPEP said the goal is to ensure that partnership are not merely adhoc intervention, but are strategic, coordinated and aligned with national education priorities.
“Hence, your constructive contributions and informed insights will be instrumental in strengthening the framework and ensuring that it is practical, implementable, measurable and responsive to the realities and needs of the basic education sector,” he stated.
He added that UBEC expects the meeting will result in a robust, practical, and PPEP framework that provides a clear pathway for building sustainable resources, and leveraging expertise and innovation to complement government effort in strengthening basic education.
The representative of UNICEF commended the Commission and other stakeholders for their effort at producing a draft framework on PPEP to strengthen basic education.
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