The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has asked Education Secretaries to strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms in fund management towards preparation for the full implementation of local government financial autonomy in the country
The Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Hamid Bobboyi made the call at the opening of a 3-day Training and Sensitisation of 112 Education Secretaries from the Northeast on Implementation of UBEC Teacher Professional Development (TPD) in Bauchi.
The training organised for all the 774 Education Secretaries across the 36 states and the FCT is taking place simultaneously in all the six geopolitical zones including Abuja.
Dr Bobboyi represented by UBEC Northeast Zonal Director Alhaji Abdullahi Jarma stressed the need for the participants to ensure that funds are utilised for the purpose they were disbursed, noting that the training is to draw their attention how best to managing UBE intervention fund.
He said as Heads of the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEA), they are to ensure that primary schools in their domains are run efficiently.
“Provide professional leadership to Head teachers and teachers, as support officers, mentors and coaches. You are to ensure that whatever is required for schools under them to perform effectively are provided,” he said.
Earlier, the UBEC Director TPD Mr Olumayowa Aleshin represented by Hajiya Amina Alkali listed some of the anomalies encountered in the conduct of TDP trainings over the years to include sending wrong people for training, transferring teachers who have been trained to other schools shortly after training.
Mr Aleshin said all trained teachers are supposed to stay for a minimum of two years in their schools to give them opportunity to share knowledge and skills gained with their colleagues in the schools they were selected from for the training.
On his part, the Executive Chairman, SUBEB, Alhaji Adamu Duguri represented by the Director Planning, Research and Statistics Adamu Abdullahi explained the need for continuous teacher training as new ideas emerge.
Duguri who said the training is in line with the framework of the SUBEB to improve the capacity of teachers across the state. He urged the participants to extend the knowledge acquired to their various localities for the benefit of people at rural communities.
