Sola Adeyemo 
In the belief that the strength and development of Nigeria’s educational system rests on the quality of its primary education, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), has trained 137 Education Secretaries of Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities in the South-West.
Speaking during the training session in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, said the roles of the Secretaries in basic education implementation are too crucial to be taken for granted.
According to the SUBEB Media team in a release made available to New Telegraph on Monday, the Commission had earlier trained Education Secretaries within the South-West region on the 2023/2024 Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme in Ibadan between November 18-22, 2024.
Represented by UBEC’s Zonal Assistant Director, Mr. Olusegun Akere, Bobboyi, said the role of Education Secretaries in basic education implementation is too crucial to be taken for granted, hence the need for them to pay adequate attention to training. He assured them of the commission’s continued support in improving their knowledge and skills in educational management.
Charging them as administrative and professional Heads of the Local Government Education Authorities and primarily expected to ensure that the primary schools in their domains are run efficiently, the UBEC Boss said, “They are to ensure that whatever is required for schools under them to perform effectively, are provided.
“With these responsibilities on their shoulders, they deserve to get the professional support they need from the State Universal Basic Education Boards and the Universal Basic Education Commission, among others.
“Training them as regularly as possible assures that basic education delivery will perform above average in terms of learner performance. Apart from the supervisory and other administrative functions they perform, they also provide professional leadership to Head Teachers and teachers, as support officers, mentors, and coaches,” he said.
The Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, said in a goodwill message that the training was aimed at enhancing the capacities of Education Secretaries as education managers at the grassroots, in line with the UBE operational guidelines towards effective implementation of the 2023/2024 Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme.
He assured Education Secretaries in the state of the continued support of the board, especially in training that will improve their knowledge and skills in educational management. He stressed that Education Secretaries are the closest to the schools, who are the end receivers of the services of the Commission and the Board. To him, “The role of Education Secretaries in ensuring effective implementation of the UBE programme can not be underestimated,” he said.
The Director of Teacher Development, UBEC, Mr. Aleshin Mayowa, in his remarks, noted that the training underscores the importance the Commission places on the relevance of the Education Secretaries in the implementation of the UBE programme.
