Delight Chinedum

The joint public hearing on Bills for an Act to amend the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004 and other related matters, 2025 has commenced in Abuja.

The event, held at the Senate Conference Hall 022, New Building, National Assembly Complex, Abuja attracted critical stakeholders, such as the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Aisha Garba; the Deputy Executive secretary (Technical), Prof. Bala Zakari, and other UBEC officials.

Others were the Dean, forum of State Universal Basic Education, SUBEB Chairmen in Nigeria, Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja and Sub Deans, including the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board Chairman, Dr. Vera Nkiru Nwadinobi who is the Sub Dean South East geopolitical Zone; the NUT; among others.

Expectedly, the event is a forum for the stakeholders to make a summary presentation of their submission while the Joint Committee comprising the Senate Committee on Education for both Basic and Secondary education, and the House Committee on Basic Education and Services awaits the written submission.

According to part of the eight point position of the SUBEB Chairmen in the proposed bill, section 2 stipulates the role of the duty bearers as regards the enforcement of the proposed bill as seen in section 2:1 which reads: “every government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal education for every child of Early Childhood Care and Development Education, ECCDE; Primary, Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School age.”

For Section 2:2, “every parent shall ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his ECCDE, primary school education, and secondary school education by endeavouring to send the child to attend basic education.”

However, section 2:3 reads ” the stakeholders in a Local Government Area which shall include Community Leaders, and District Education Committee shall ensure that every parent or person who has the care and custody of a child performs the duty imposed on him under section 2:2 of the Act.

Evidently, when eventually passed into law, the Bill will provide a legal framework for every child in Nigeria to enjoy free, compulsory and universal education.

Happily, in Anambra State school system today, the administration of Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, has already introduced free education in the State schools, where every child of school age is already enjoying free education from the basic education to the senior secondary school level.