More funds coming for UBE, says Gordon Brown

•Jonathan orders schools’ censurs
Nigeria will benefit from a pool of $500
million fund to boost educational development
and provide more resources for the Universal
Basic Education (UBE), it was learnt yesterday.
A former British Prime Minister, Mr Gordon
Brown, spoke during a meeting of Coalition
Interventions to Support Access and Quality of
Education in Nigeria, hosted by President
Goodluck Jonathan at the Banquet Hall of the
State House in Abuja.
Brown, who is the United Nations (UN) Special
Envoy on Global Education, said several
international agencies were showing keen
interest to support basic education in Nigeria.
He said: “I have been talking to a number of
agencies and our partners in development. I
can now say that we have adopted the
decisions that they have made. We have been
able to contribute from the international
community additional resources to support the
development of Universal Basic Education in
Nigeria. I talked to the Head of the United
States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and he has told me that he would raise
the money; he is making available $100
million.
“I have also been able to talk to the Head of
Global Partnership for Education and it will
make available $100 million for the
development of universal education. I have
talked to the Head of the Development
Commission for the European Union (EU). He
said he would tell the Government of Nigeria
to submit an application from time to time,
for the next seven years will be devoted to
education development in Nigeria. So, it’s up
to the government to make the application.
“I (also) talked to the Head of Department of
International Development of the United
Kingdom. He said he would be happy to
entertain new application for private support
of additional cash transfers from the individual
states. He will visit Nigeria in January and
would want to meet states that are interested
in moving this forward.
“The Federal Government has earmarked $250
million for investment in education by the
states. What we have managed to do, by
talking to the agencies over the last few days,
is to match that $250 million by the additional
$250 million, making possible new investment
of $500 million in education in Nigeria.
“I believe that additional cash transfers are for
training, introduction of new technologies,
which can now match the initiatives that have
been taken by Alhaji Aliko Dangote from the
business community and other initiatives
among five agencies.”
President Jonathan reaffirmed his
administration’s commitment to an effective
implementation of policies and measures to
give Nigerian youths quality education that will
equip them with essential skills and
competencies for employment.
To get the right figures of pupils in schools,
the President directed the Federal Ministry of
Education to conduct schools’ census in
November.
He said: “It is important to underline that
accurate information on school enrolments,
especially at the basic and secondary levels,
remains a serious challenge. To aid proper
planning and decision-making, It is necessary
that we get the numbers right.
“I am, therefore, directing the Federal Ministry
of Education to initiate an effective partnership
with the states in conducting concurrent
schools’ census across the states by November.
This will complement the Nigeria Digest of
Education Statistics: 2006-2010, which was
produced by the ministry and launched in
2011.”