Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, on Thursday, declared open the 28th quarterly meeting of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), stating that the State Government invested N53.6 billion in the education sector this year.
The two-day review meeting held in Maiduguri brought together executive chairmen and management of the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) from across the federation.
In his opening address to the participants, Governor Zulum underscored the critical roles of education in fostering peace and development.
He highlighted the state’s huge investments in rebuilding educational facilities destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents, including the construction of 104 mega secondary schools and the recruitment of thousands of teachers in the last six years.
“This administration has prioritised the strengthening of our teaching workforce, with an investment of ₦4 billion in teacher training.
“This effort includes a comprehensive verification and professionalisation exercise, the recruitment of 4,000 qualified teachers with the provision of an intensive training for over 11,000 basic-level teachers.”
Besides the teachers’ training, Zulum added, “We promptly implemented the minimum wage to improve teachers’ welfare through measures comprising rural posting allowances, construction of teachers’ quarters in the three senatorial districts, and the offsets of outstanding gratuities.
In this year alone, the state has invested ₦18.99 billion in some major education infrastructure across all local government areas.”
He explained that two of these projects are among those commissioned by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa.
In the tertiary education sector, the state also recorded notable progress through major infrastructure upgrades, expanded staffing and sustained accreditation efforts.
He added that about N7 billion were expended in the execution of capital projects in key educational institutions.
“We approved an additional N1 billion support for the transition of the College of Education to a fully fledged Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship (FUAE), Bama.
Other additional expenditures cover infrastructure upgrades to support technical and vocational education, investments in ICT and digital literacy, scholarships, and the support for Arabic and Almajiri education.”
In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, charged delegates to engage in purposeful and productive discussions.
He emphasised that the outcome of the meeting must translate into actionable policies that address current challenges, such as out-of-school children, teacher development and infrastructure deficits.
Similarly, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, called for an insightful deliberation. She stressed the importance of the quarterly meeting as a vital platform for peer review, experience sharing and strategic alignments at the federal and state levels.
Before the opening ceremony, the Minister of Education, alongside Governor Zulum and the UBEC Executive Secretary, commissioned three newly completed mega schools in Maiduguri.
