In this second part, ROTIMI LAWRENCE OYEKANMI examines some activities of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) in the last 12 months.UBEC's measured march towards EFA targetsTHE business of managing primary education, in a complex country like Nigeria, with 36 unpredictable state governors who have conflicting interests, could be tricky indeed.At the last count, Abia, Anambra, Bayesla, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Imo, and Nasarawa among others, were yet to collect their 2010 (N622.7 million each) counterpart funds for their respective primary education sub-sectors from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). In fact, both Enugu and Ebonyi states are yet to collect their 2009 counterpart funds (N531.1 million each), besides the 2010 tranche (N622.7million each).Dr Modibbo Mohammed, UBEC's Executive Secretary had to embark on tour of some states this year to practically implore the governors to take advantage of their counter part funds in UBEC's coffers. The commission's management team also met with President Goodluck Jonathan over the huge funds still in custody the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which the states have failed to claim.It is, thus, not surprising that Nigeria has an estimated 10 million out-of-school children, the largest in Africa. There are increased fears that Nigeria may not meet the Education for All (EFA) targets, due by 2015.Some of the problems are institutional. The country's constitution gives the management of primary education, which is on the con-current schedule, to the local councils which, more often than not, pay attention to other vocations. Yet, the federal government also legislates on primary education issues. This accounts for some of the problems UBEC encounters with the states over how the federal government's funds should be spent.However, the commission has procured and distributed over 54, 000 textbooks in Mathematics, English Language, and the Sciences for pupils in primary 1 to 6, based on the respective state boards' recommendations. It has also brought 105, 000 National Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates into the Federal Teachers' Scheme, although, some of the teachers, who were discovered to have fake certificates were promptly disengaged. Besides, the advocacy visits, which began in 2010 have also led to increased access to federal government's funds by the states, which in turn, had led to improved infrastructure in public primary schools.Again, some 416, 760 teachers and education managers have been trained. The commission also disbursed funds to public schools for Special Needs Education this year. Efforts to create more awareness across the states on the need to send children to school, through Radio and Television jingles are paying off, as reports indicate increase in enrolment, even among the nomadic population. The challenge before the commission now is how to match the renewed enthusiasm with more funds and state governments' commitments.The commission has also been lucky to receive aid from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Korean Internal Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which donated new classrooms to some schools in northern states.It has also produced and distributed the Community Accountability and Transparency Initiative (CATI) documents, to create awareness among Nigerians on the quantum of funds disbursed public schools across the country, and to enable them hold education managers accountable.NUC's performance dogged by ASUU strikePROF Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), is believed to have grown more grey hairs in the last four years than he did in the several years he spent lecturing on various university campuses.Who wouldn't, when you have to deal with eggheads, who are brimming with radical ideas, scattered across 36 federal, 37 State and 45 private Universities, and a determined Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) breathing down your neck.Witty, unassuming, outwardly easy-going but firm, Okojie has still not been able to fix the problem between ASUU and the Federal Government. His colleagues on the other side of the divide are angry with him. Although ASUU deals with a federal government team, NUC's views are still considered important.In an interview with The Guardian in Paris, France last October, Okojie listed many reasons why ASUU should not go on strike. But the University teachers, who embarked on an indefinite strike this month, would have none of that. While the NUC would list achievements in the Universities in recent years, ASUU would list the woes that are yet to be addressed.However, the NUC made some progress within the year. It developed the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for postgraduate programmes in 13 disciplines. It had embarked on the exercise after discovering, during the staff and student audit it carried out, that 61 per cent of the lecturers in the system were within the Lecturer 1 cadre and below. It also discovered that the universities were running postgraduate programmes at variance with one another in the same disciplines.The commission also dispatched 17 panels to carry out Institutional Accreditation in all federal universities last month, an exercise, which ASUU describes as a waste of time. Institutional accreditation is a process by which activities of a University are appraised through certain criteria.The Commission also developed a template for staff development in the Universities, such that a certain percentage of the funds allocated to the institutions would be spent specifically in staff development programmes. Besides, it fortified its e-learning platform worth over N400 million this year, making it possible for university teachers to access international academic journals at the press of a button.The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF) is also assisting the NUC by providing funds for the establishment of modern laboratories in specific zones in the country, to enhance the capacity of science researchers.However, the battle with illegal degree mills is still fierce. It is having a hectic time supervising existing private and public universities, some of which are running courses without approval.Okojie informed the House of Representatives Committee on Education, which visited the NUC on December 7, that an amendment to its law, which would give more bite to its ability to fight the illegal degree mills, had already passed through the Federal Executive Council and was on its way to the National Assembly. He implored the committee to help in ensuring that the bill is quickly passed into law.
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