By Adeola Kunle
Commission assures expansion of digital learning centres across all 36 states, as UBEC strengthens access to quality basic education
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming basic education through digital learning, with the inauguration of digital learning centres across the country as part of efforts to deliver on the education objectives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, stated this while speaking at the inauguration of a digital learning centre at the Model Junior Government Girls Secondary School, Abuja, where she explained that the initiative was designed to give Nigerian children access to quality and technology-driven education irrespective of their social or economic background.
Dr. Garba said UBEC had so far inaugurated 74 digital learning centres nationwide, describing the development as an important step in bridging the digital divide in Nigeria’s basic education system.
She assured that the Commission would continue to expand the initiative, with the objective of ensuring that digital learning centres are established across all 36 states of the federation, thereby widening opportunities for pupils and students to benefit from technology-enabled learning.
According to her, the digital learning initiative forms part of UBEC’s broader reforms aimed at improving the quality, accessibility and learning environment of basic education in Nigeria.
Dr. Garba explained that UBEC had established minimum standards for basic schools nationwide, stressing that the Commission’s intervention was guided by a Whole School Approach, which seeks to identify and address the specific needs of a school comprehensively rather than implementing isolated projects.
She said: “We have provided minimum standards for all basic schools in the country, with a whole-school approach to providing conducive and qualitative learning for children.
“Any school that government is going to run, whether federal, state or local government, must meet those minimum standards. We enter the school and identify all the gaps within that particular school.
“If the school needs renovation of dilapidated classrooms or furniture, we must take the school and ensure that all the gaps within that school are addressed.”
The Executive Secretary said the approach was intended to ensure that UBEC interventions produce complete and sustainable improvements in schools, including infrastructure, furniture, learning facilities and digital resources.
The initiative, she noted, aligns with the Federal Government’s renewed efforts to equip Nigerian children with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world.
Dr. Garba's assurance on the expansion of digital learning centres across the federation underscores UBEC’s determination to make technology-enabled education accessible to children beyond major urban centres.
Meanwhile, the Principal of Junior Secondary School, Angwan Hausawa, Nyanya, Mr. Gideon Isa, commended the UBEC leadership for its interventions in basic education and appealed for the construction of an administrative block for the school.
He said the provision of the facility would further improve the school’s administrative and learning environment.
The ongoing interventions are part of UBEC’s wider investment in basic education infrastructure across the country. Reports indicate that the Commission has constructed about 4,000 classrooms nationwide within the last year, alongside other interventions aimed at improving learning conditions in schools.
Through the digital learning centre initiative and its Whole School Approach, UBEC is positioning technology, infrastructure and quality learning environments as key components of its drive to strengthen Nigeria’s basic education system and advance the education priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Adeola Kunle
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