The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, has described Delta State’s technology-driven teacher attendance system, Attend360, as an innovation that could help other states improve accountability and learning outcomes.
Garba said the platform demonstrates how technology can address a fundamental challenge in education by ensuring teachers are present and engaged in the classroom.
“There is no education or quality learning without a good teacher or without a teacher in the classroom,” she said.
She spoke during a courtesy visit to the Delta State Government, represented by Deputy Governor Sir Monday Onyeme, as part of activities marking the 30th Quarterly Meeting of UBEC Management with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Asaba.
The meeting, themed “Repositioning Basic Education in Nigeria to Optimise Investment and Impact,” brought UBEC management and SUBEB chairmen together to examine ways to improve investment, innovation and implementation in basic education.
Garba said Delta was chosen to host the meeting because of its progress in the education sector, particularly its use of technology to improve school management, teacher attendance and accountability.
She also commended the state for accessing its UBE matching grants up to 2025, urging it to ensure that available funds are fully utilised and approved programmes implemented promptly.
Garba further encouraged Delta to position itself to benefit from the education component of the World Bank-supported HOPE Education Programme, which has up to $500 million earmarked for education.
Responding, Onyeme said Delta remained committed to improving education and clarified that the state had about ₦1 billion in unutilised funds, rather than ₦8 billion previously referenced. He added that about 90 per cent of the state’s 2025 Action Plan had been implemented and that Delta had received its 2026 matching grant.
“We will continue to improve and do our best to ensure that we give education to as many citizens as possible,” he said.
During a separate visit to the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Azinge, Garba stressed the importance of collaboration among government, traditional institutions and education stakeholders in improving basic education.
She said UBEC’s goal was to ensure that every Nigerian child, regardless of location or socioeconomic background, has access to quality basic education.
Azinge described basic education as the foundation of Nigeria’s future and stressed the importance of quality teachers.
“If you have quality teachers, you produce quality people,” he said.
He urged UBEC and SUBEB chairmen to confront challenges in basic education and develop practical solutions, stressing that children with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds must not be left behind.
Garba said UBEC would continue to work with states, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to ensure that investments and innovations translate into better classrooms, stronger teaching and improved learning outcomes nationwide.
