The Executive Chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, has urged education secretaries and Early Childhood Care Development Education (ECCDE) officers from the state’s 23 Local Government Education Authorities to reinvigorate early childhood education programs in public primary schools across Benue State.
Speaking at a recent board meeting, Dr. Adagba highlighted the critical role of ECCDE in building a strong foundation for lifelong learning. She stressed the need to enhance educational opportunities for children in Benue, calling on education secretaries to actively promote the board’s initiatives to establish ECCDE centers in all public schools.
Dr. Adagba referenced a recent directive from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which mandates the creation of ECCDE centers in all public schools. She instructed headteachers to start admitting children aged two to five into ECCDE classes from the next academic session.
To ensure these directives are implemented effectively, Dr. Adagba tasked the education secretaries with organizing emergency meetings with headteachers to emphasize the importance of ECCDE. She also directed teachers to work during the holidays to facilitate enrollment, handle admissions, and prepare lesson plans ahead of the new academic session.
Dr. Adagba further encouraged education secretaries to launch campaigns that promote public schools by highlighting the high standards and quality of education available. She suggested organizing events like quizzes and debates to showcase excellence and recommended maintaining clean school environments to attract both learners and parents.
SUBEB, she announced, plans to conduct enrollment drive campaigns and awareness programs across the state’s three geopolitical zones. She urged education secretaries to leverage this initiative to boost ECCDE implementation in their respective areas.
In response, the Agatu education secretary, Mrs. Helen Ameh, and the Desk Officer for ECCDE in Ado Local Government Education Authority, Mr. Brown Ochai, expressed their gratitude to Dr. Adagba for her efforts in revitalizing quality basic education. They pledged their dedication to improving basic education across the state.