UBEC Disburses ₦10.61bn for School Renovation and Learner Retention Programme

The Universal Basic Education Commission has released ₦10.61 billion for school repairs, project completion, and a new programme to keep children in class — with the money flowing across all 36 states and the FCT.

UBEC Executive Secretary Aisha Garba, represented by Deputy ES Rasaq Akinyemi, announced the disbursements Thursday in Abuja during the flag-off of the 2025 School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme.

The money splits three ways: ₦5.18 billion goes to the 2025 SBMC-SIP round, covering 518 communities with 14 schools per state earmarked for renovation. Another ₦434.5 million clears the backlog from 2023 and 2024 cycles — 11,484 incomplete projects will now get finished. The remaining ₦5 billion funds a new Learners’ Retention Programme targeting one million children across eight states who are at risk of dropping out.

Since the SBMC-SIP launched, UBEC says it has reached 1,112 schools, started 13,670 projects, and improved conditions for roughly 400,000 learners.

Beyond bricks and mortar, the retention programme is designed to tackle economic pressure on families — the real reason many children leave school early. The commission said it will work through State Universal Basic Education Boards and local school committees to track money and verify results.

UBEC Board Chairman Umaru Al-Makura put it plainly: “These funds are a trust placed in communities. They must be properly managed to deliver meaningful impact for our children.”

Nigeria still has one of the world’s largest out-of-school child populations. Whether this round of funding moves that number is worth watching.

Sources: Punch, VON, Nigerian Observer