The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has opened a strategic retreat for its senior staff with a focus on repositioning the agency for more effective and sustainable delivery of basic education across the federation.

 The programme is part of efforts to strengthen the commission’s institutional capacity and realign its operations with national education priorities.

 Declaring the event open, participants commended UBEC’s Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, for what was described as visionary leadership in convening the retreat.

According to officials, her unwavering commitment to institutional reforms and service delivery reflects a deep understanding of the urgent needs of the country’s basic education sector.

With the theme, “Repositioning UBEC for Sustainable Basic Education Delivery in Nigeria,” the retreat is to assess the commission’s progress, address systemic bottlenecks, and set out new strategies for achieving improved learning outcomes for Nigerian children.

 Stakeholders stressed that the challenges facing the sector remain significant, including the growing number of out-of-school children, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of qualified teachers, low levels of learning achievement and weak planning and implementation at sub-national levels.

The retreat also comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasises inclusive and qualitative development for all Nigerians.

In line with this agenda, the Ministry of Education recently launched the National Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) to ensure a more coordinated, accountable and results-driven education system.

UBEC had pledged full alignment with the initiative, particularly its 13 ministerial deliverables that are directly linked to the basic education programme.

In her remarks, Garba reiterated that the success of the commission’s reform agenda depends on collective responsibility, teamwork, and sustained commitment to results.

 She expressed gratitude to the Lagos State government for hosting the engagement, urging participants to take advantage of the retreat to contribute meaningfully to the future of basic education in Nigeria.