By Hammed Shittu
The Kwara State Government has received a total of N7,151,142,190 grant from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for the rehabilitation of the basic education sector in the state.
The Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Fatimah Ahmed disosed this in Ilorin in a statement.
She said the grant was the first time since 2013 when the state was blacklisted from the national scheme
According to her, “the development represents a historic feat for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who has spent the last one year working to reposition basic education in the state, beginning with the payment of N450 million diverted funds which had brought Kwara State under the hammer of the UBEC.”
She said “the N7.1 billion is a cumulation of UBEC grants that were not accessed between 2014 and 2019. The money was not accessed because the former administration failed to pay its own counterpart funds.
“The UBEC grants are meant for rehabilitation of dilapidated basic schools, construction of new ones, equipment of the schools with ICT tools, training of teachers, and project evaluation, among other purposes contained in the UBEC work plan.”
She added: “This money would be spent in phases over the next two years to fix up to 600 elementary schools out of the over 1,400 decrepit basic education facilities across the state.
“The projects would be monitored by UBEC to ensure compliance with the work plan submitted by the government.
“This development has taken Kwara State out of the bottom position in the ranking of states with highest figures of outstanding UBEC grants.
“The pitiful state of basic education infrastructure in the state is a reflection of the failure to access UBEC funds and the near-zero investments in the sector over the past few years.”
Meanwhile, the government would be organising a three-day workshop for local contractors and anyone who is interested in working with the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KW-SUBEB).
The workshop according to the government began on Tuesday, November 9, 2020 while further details will be released.
The government stated that “in compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007, the KWSUBEB will be inviting interested registered, competent, capable and reputable contractors to submit their pre-qualification document to tender.”
