House C’ttee threatens to sanction schools resisting audit by UBEC

The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education has threatened action against schools, especially private ones, resisting the National Personnel Audit being conducted by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

UBEC is currently carrying out a national personnel audit of all basic education institutions in the country.

The chairman of the committee, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, stated this in Abuja on Thursday, while monitoring the 2022 national personnel Audit at Pilot Science Nursery/Primary School, Wuse Zone 5 and Junior Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

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Ihonvbere said he would propose a law, along with his colleagues, to make it compulsory for every private school to supply 100 per cent of the personnel data.

He said, “What has been lacking in this country is the policy consistency, the ability to align policy formulation with policy performance and funding the education sector adequately and ensuring that resources go to the right places.”

While noting that the number of schools has increased over time without enough teachers, he said: “We are closing schools because of security, it is not the teachers that will provide the security, it is the government so they need to do something about that.”

He added, “You go outside the capital city of any state, most schools are not even fenced, even perimeter fencing, governance will not do it. There are schools without water, toilets, and no playground for primary school pupils, so we need to take this education very seriously if we really want to change this country. It is education that makes the difference in any country.”

The lawmaker also berated private schools for closing their doors and refusing to grant access to UBEC personnel for the auditing, saying they were taking a major risk.

Earlier, the executive chairman Federal Capital Territory (FCT) UBEC, Alhassan Sule, said availability of data would help to address some of the issues facing the education sector.

“What is going on now is a better opportunity for us to have at our fingertips data that concerns the enrollment, teachers and infrastructure. It is better to plan when you have your data at your fingertips. I think the best thing that the federal government is doing for Nigerian citizens is ensuring free and compulsory basic education for our children,” he said.