The Universal Basic Education Commission simply known as UBEC is a Nigeria's Federal government Agency that has the mandate to formulate and coordinate all programmes of the Universal Basic Education programme prescribe the minimum standards for basic education in Nigeria. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) was established by the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education and Other Related Matters Act of 2004 [1] to eradicate illiteracy, ignorance and poverty as well as to stimulate and accelerate national development, political consciousness and national integration to fulfil the national philosophy and goals of education which underlines with the country’s aspiration to social, economic and political development. [2]
The Federal Government of Nigeria first introduced the Universal Basic Education Programme in 1999 as a reform programme in education aimed at providing greater access to and ensuring the quality of basic education in Nigeria. The UBE Programme as a free, universal, and compulsory basic education programme was later backed by the UBE Act 2004, which made the provision for basic education consisting of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), Primary education and Junior Secondary Education. The programme is seen as a demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to global protocols and conventions on education. These include the Rights of the Child Convention (1989) and the World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs (1990). One of the major goal of the UBE programme is to ensure that all children, regardless of ethnicity, religion, class, or gender, have access to quality basic education. Hence Access, Equity and Quality are the cardinal pursuits of the UBE programme. [3] [4]
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) law (UBE Act, 2004) established the commission as the intervention agency responsible for the disbursement of the Federal Government Universal Basic Education Intervention to states and other stakeholders and the coordination of the implementation of the UBE programme throughout Nigeria. The Law defines Basic education to include: "Early childhood care and development education, nine years of formal schooling (6 years of primary and 3 years of junior secondary education, adult literacy and non-formal education, skills acquisition programmes and the education of special groups such as nomads and migrants, girl-child and women, almajirai, street children and disabled groups" (UBE Act, 2004, p. 29). [1] [5] It also defines the functions of the Commission to include the following:
The UBE Commission also correlates with the State Governments to facilitates its activities through their respective State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) established by law passed by each State House of Assembly. [2]
The UBEC’s administration is headed by an executive secretary appointed by the president on the recommendation of Education Ministry. [6] [7] The highest decision making body of NCCE is the Governing Board headed by a Chairman [8] and Secretary (which is the executive secretary of the commission) and members. The board members are representatives of federal ministries, institutions and professional organisations which include Federal Ministries of Education and Finance, Federal Colleges of Education (Technical), Federal Colleges of Education (Conventional), State Colleges of Education, Nigerian Academy of Education and Nigerian Union of Teachers. [2] [9] [10]