UBEC SET TO COMMENCE 2017 NATIONAL PERSONNEL AUDIT: CONDUCTS TRIAL-TESTING OF INSTRUMENTS IN CROSS RIVER STATE

By Uchino Amatey

Following the 2004 Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act, the Universal Basic Education Commission which is empowered to carry out in concert with the States and Local Governments at regular intervals, a personnel audit of teaching and
non-teaching staff of all basic education institutions in Nigeria, and establish a basic education data bank and also conduct research on
basic education in Nigeria, is set to carry out its 2017 National Personnel Audit (NPA).

As a result of this , the commission is conducting a trial-testing of instruments developed for the 2017 NPA in one State in each of the six (6) geo- political zones of the Country , with Cross River State representing the South-South geo-political zone.

Leading the 5-man team for the trial testing of instruments for UBEC 2017 NPA South-South Geo-
political Zone, Deputy Director Administration & Supplies, UBEC, Mr David Wabi stated that, the exercise which kicked-off in other selected States on Friday 3rd July is slated to end on Friday 7th July 2017.
While briefing SUBEB Management and Executive secretaries of the four selected Local Government Areas in the State(Calabar South, Calabar
Municipal, Odukpani and Akamkpa ), Mr Wabi said the exercise will cover thirty-seven Public ,private Primary and Junior Secondary schools in four Local Government Areas(two rural and two urban).

He said the decision to include private primary school was to enable the commission get credible
data in the basic education sub-sector devoid of distortions and conflicts.

According to him “attempts by different organizations to draw conclusions on the Nigerian
Basic Education sub-sector are usually on data generated only from public basic education Institutions and this has led to distortions due to
the fact that there has not been a coordinated effort to gather data on the private institutions which also make up the basic education sector
sub-sector.” Mr Wabi said the trial testing is important in order to avoid errors in the main exercise that will be conducted later in the year.

He added that the commission for the first time is introducing the electronic system of collecting data, which has not been done anywhere in the Country.

On his part, the Executive Chairman SUBEB, Dr Stephen Odey urged Directors and Executive Secretaries of selected LGEAs to give UBEC and the team the necessary support to ensure the success of the exercise.