By Hussaini Ibrahim
Education stakeholders from across the country converged on Kano for a two-day strategy session aimed at strengthening governance and accountability in the nation’s basic education sector.
The National School-Based Management Committees workshop, themed “Governance Framework,” focused on validating a unified structure to guide the operations of SBMCs at national, state and local levels.
The development was contained in a press release on Sunday and signed by the Director of Corporate Communications, Balarabe Danlami Jazuli, on behalf of the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board.
The workshop, funded by PLANE with support from the Universal Basic Education Commission and the Kano SUBEB, sought to harmonise coordination mechanisms, ethical standards and accountability structures for effective SBMC operations nationwide.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of Kano SUBEB, Malam Yusuf Kabir, described governance as central to building a resilient and result-driven basic education system.
“While the SBMC mandate defines what must be done, a strong governance framework provides clarity on how it should be done effectively, transparently and sustainably,” he said.
Kabir reaffirmed the Kano State Government’s commitment to strengthening SBMCs as vehicles for accountability and community participation in schools, noting that transparency in financial management and inclusive stakeholder engagement were critical to achieving improved learning outcomes.
He recalled that SBMCs were institutionalised following the 2005 approval of the National Council on Education, which directed states to establish the committees to enhance community ownership and oversight of schools.
Also speaking, Farida Anka, who represented UBEC, commended PLANE for supporting reforms in the basic education sector.
“The effectiveness of SBMCs across Nigeria depends largely on the strength and clarity of the national coordinating structure we are shaping here,” she said.
She added that UBEC would ensure that the validated framework aligns with national education policies and existing social mobilisation structures.
In his remarks, the National SBMC Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Wazirin Gwandu, described the Kano meeting as a significant milestone in institutionalising a credible and unified governance structure for SBMCs across the country.
He said the validation process would reinforce coordination, ethical compliance and accountability at all levels.
The North-West Coordinator and Kano State SBMC Chairman, Alhaji Tijjani Haladu Baraya, expressed appreciation to PLANE, UBEC and Kano SUBEB for their collaboration, noting that the engagement would improve service delivery and strengthen grassroots education governance.
Participants at the workshop described the session as timely, expressing optimism that the agreed governance mechanisms would enhance the credibility, transparency and sustainability of SBMC operations nationwide.
