By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA — The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is revamping its administrative process to help Nigerian states access more than N68 billion in dormant funds meant to improve basic education. The move is a direct response to years of states struggling to get their share due to an outdated and complex work plan.
The old system, in place for over a decade, has been blamed for bureaucratic bottlenecks and slow utilization of critical resources. To fix this, UBEC has introduced a new, simplified Basic Education Action Plan template. The revised plan, which was officially launched in May 2025, prioritizes results-based planning and financial accountability, aiming to make it easier for states to meet the requirements for funding.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, announced the change at a training workshop in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. “The thinking in the commission is to have only one work plan for the different intervention funds,” she explained, emphasizing the need for a “workable and user-friendly” template to replace the old, complicated one.
The training was specifically for directors and desk officers from Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in the South-South region. A similar workshop for northern states in Kano reportedly had encouraging results.
Despite a staggering 18.3 million out-of-school children and widespread issues like dilapidated school infrastructure and a shortage of qualified teachers, billions of naira in federal funding remain untouched each year. For instance, in 2023, 27 states and the FCT failed to access N36.1 billion in UBEC matching grants.
This new plan is a crucial step toward streamlining the process, allowing states to finally access and use these funds to address the urgent needs of Nigeria’s basic education sector.