Benue SUBEB Revives Early Childhood Education in Public Primary Schools

George Okoh in Makurdi

The Executive Chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, has called on education secretaries and Early Childhood Care Development Education (ECCDE) desk officers from the 23 Local Government Education Authorities to rejuvenate early childhood education programmes in all public primary schools across the state.

During a meeting at the board recently, Adagba emphasised the importance of ECCDE in laying a solid foundation for future learning and underscored the need for improved educational opportunities for Benue children. She urged the education secretaries to actively publicise the board’s innovative efforts to establish ECCDE centres in all public schools.

Highlighting a recent directive from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Adagba mandated the establishment of ECCDE centres in all public schools. She also directed that headteachers begin admitting children aged two to five into ECCDE classes starting from the next academic session.

To ensure the successful implementation of these directives, Adagba charged the education secretaries to convene emergency meetings with headteachers to sensitise them to the importance of ECCDE. She directed teachers to work during holidays to facilitate enrollment, admissions, and lesson plan preparations before the commencement of the new academic session.

She also urged the education secretaries to launch campaigns to promote public schools, highlighting the high standards and quality of education available in basic education schools. Adagba also suggested organising programmes such as quizzes and debates to showcase excellence and maintaining clean school environments to attract learners and parents.

She announced that SUBEB plans to conduct enrollment drive campaigns and sensitization programmes in the state’s three geopolitical zones. She encouraged the education secretaries to take full advantage of this initiative to enhance ECCDE implementation in their respective areas.

In response, the Agatu education secretary, Mrs. Helen Ameh and Desk Officer, ECCDE Ado LGEA, Mr. Brown Ochai, thanked Adagba for her efforts to revive the forgotten days of quality basic education and pledged their commitment to working hard to improve basic education in the state.