Flags Off 2018 National Personnel Audit.
By Gift Samuel, Ama Benjamine
Abuja: The need for a more comprehensive data gathering of all public and private basic education institutions has been said to be the baseline for proper educational planning in Nigeria.
In line with this, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, on Monday, disclosed that the Federal Government will not fail Nigerians in providing quality basic education for all.
The Minister who said this in Abuja at the Flag-off of the 2018 National Personnel Audit of all Basic Education Institutions in Nigeria, noted that reliable data is one of the the key success factors in the effective implementation of the Ministerial Strategic Plan.
According to the Minister, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) was established as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s resolve to support States and Local Governments to fulfil their constitutional mandate of providing free, compulsory and universal basic education in the country.
He called on all stakeholders in the educational sector, including the private sector, civil society organisations, communities and parents to cooperate with the National Planning Committee of 2018 NPA to ensure the success of the exercise.
“The education of our children is the responsibility of all. Let us all work together and gather the needed data to plan for the best education that the Nigeria child deserves”, the Minister said.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Governing Board of the Universal Basic Education Commission,Dr. Mahmud Muhammad, pointed out that the National Personnel Audit 2018 has its unique features which have broaden the scope and reliability of the data gathering exercise.
In his words, “The audit covers basic education institutions in the country, including private ones. It is vital for the purpose of educational planning and human capital development to have good idea of which schools our children are attending and how best to interface with these schools in order to deliver qualitative basic education”.
On his part, the Executive Secretary UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi noted that the development of Global Positioning System (GPS) by NARSA for proper identification and easy location of schools, is a value addition in the 2018 NPA.
He enjoined educational stakeholders and private providers of basic education to collaborate with UBEC enumerators, by providing unfettered access to their schools and facilities, adding that the result of the data gathering will go a long way in strengthening the basic education sub-sector.
The highlight of the event was a song presentation by the Pupils of Model Primary School, Maitama, Abuja and a demonstration by the Taekwondo society of Mariana, Abuja.
