Still On the Unclaimed Education Funds

This Day

18 August 2011

Still On the Unclaimed Education Funds

editorial

For the umpteenth time, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) last week announced that it had N30.6 billion Universal Basic Education (UBE) special intervention funds for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in its kitty.

The Education Trust Fund (ETF) is also waiting for all the states and FCT to claim their allocation of N43 billion for basic and secondary education.

That makes more than N73 billion funds that is now practically idle. With the deplorable state of primary and secondary education across the country and governors moaning about their inability to fund the systems, this is not only inexplicable and regrettable, it is reprehensible and totally unacceptable.

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Higher education receives 50 per cent of the total tax collected in any one year, in the ratio of 2:1:1 for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education; primary education receives 40 per cent and secondary education, 10 per cent.

It is the unaccessed part of the 50 per cent due to primary and secondary education that now stands at N43 billion.