From Lagos
Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) has been urged to adopt technologies that would enhance transparency and accountability in its operations.
The Programme Lead, Education Partnership Centre (TEP Centre), Mr Quadri Gbenga,gave the advice at a two-day training organised by the Macarthur Foundation on Thursday in Lagos.
The Reporters understands that the training, tagged, “Stakeholders’ Workshop is aimed at “Promoting Transparency and Accountability in the Basic Education Sector”.
Gbenga said that using Open Contracting Standard (OCS) would help procurement processes, contract bidding and others to be more transparent.
He said: “Open Contracting Standard (OCS) is a system whereby procurement processes, bidding for contracts and others are transparent; LASUBEB members can have access to information concerning the project.
“If the data is available, it will be easy for community members to know about a particular contractor and the project completion date and report the contractor to authorities, if there is any delay.
“Adopting transparency in project management will enable easy planning, easy budgetary allocation and allows international organisations as well as donors to assist in the project.”
He added that if LASUBEB would adopt OCS, its data gathering, monitoring and other operations would be enhanced.
The Executive Chairman of LASUBEB, Mr Wahab Alawiye-King, said that the board was committed to providing qualitative education which, he added, could not be achieved without a conducive learning environment.
Alawiye-King said that education sector, like any other, required partnerships, adding that there was need to partner with the centre for more effectiveness.
He said theb state government had introduced a number of technologies for enhanced operations.
The Managing Director and Programme Lead Initiative for TEP Centre, Dr Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, said that the centre would partner with LASUBEB to achieve greater effectiveness in handling projects.
Adefeso-Olateju, who was represented by the centre’s Communications and Knowledge Lead, Mr Opeyemi Oluleye, said: “We are also closing the gap by creating awareness to people in communities and other organisation.”
She said that the centre could assist in project monitoring to ensure completion
The online publication gathered that the Universal Basic Education Fund (UBEF) is a counterpart fund introduced by the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo to eradicate illiteracy and ignorance by creating the foundation for skills acquisition and knowledge required for life-long learning.
UBEF programme was launched in September, 1999 in Sokoto State while the act was signed into law in May 2004 by Obasanjo.
The implementation started in July 2005 with the appropriation of funds to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and subsequent disbursement to states.
