The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has warned state governments that failure to make the required budgetary provisions for a $552.18m education programme could prevent them from accessing funds tied to its implementation targets.
The commission said participating states must incorporate relevant activities under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity in Education (HOPE-EDU) programme into their 2027 budgets, as several first-year deliverables depend on timely funding allocations.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, gave the warning on Tuesday in Abuja during a two-day implementation-readiness meeting with chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).
Garba said HOPE-EDU became effective on February 27, 2026, and had moved into its implementation phase, making early budget planning essential for states seeking to meet the programme’s requirements.
She directed SUBEB chairmen to brief their respective state governments on the programme, secure political commitment and ensure that the necessary financial provisions were included in the coming fiscal year’s budgets.
The warning is significant because HOPE-EDU operates through results-based financing, under which disbursements depend on states and implementing institutions meeting agreed targets and verification requirements.
The $552.18m programme is designed to improve learning outcomes, expand access to basic education and strengthen accountability across the country. Its targets include 29 million children, 500,000 teachers, 65,000 public schools and 10,000 non-formal learning centres, alongside the construction of 13,000 classrooms.
The programme’s funding is divided across three result areas: $262.239m for improving the quality of basic education, $123.9m for expanding access and $133.611m for strengthening key systems. The allocations total $519.75m, leaving a difference of $32.43m against the stated overall programme value; the relationship between the figures was not clarified in the information provided.
The quality component is intended to improve teaching standards, provide essential learning materials and raise pupils’ performance. One of its major interventions is the Structured Pedagogy Programme, which focuses on strengthening literacy and numeracy instruction in primary schools.
The access component targets areas facing significant barriers to schooling, while the systems component is intended to improve the institutional capacity and accountability needed to deliver basic education more effectively.
Garba said states would not all qualify for every component under the same conditions.
According to her, the quality-focused result area is open to 33 states, with possible expansion to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, subject to participation in the HOPE-GOV operations. The access component is designed for 15 states with the highest populations of out-of-school children that meet the programme’s other eligibility requirements. The systems-strengthening component is open to all 36 states and the FCT.
She urged state officials to familiarise themselves with the conditions attached to each result area and ensure that their implementation plans met the relevant benchmarks.
The UBEC chief also called for closer coordination among state ministries of education, SUBEBs, Local Education Authorities, schools and School-Based Management Committees, stressing that fragmented implementation could undermine the programme’s objectives.
She said HOPE-EDU would build on existing UBEC interventions while complementing other government initiatives in education governance and primary healthcare.
Garba described SUBEB chairmen as central to the programme’s success, urging them to take responsibility for ensuring that their states met the agreed targets and verification requirements.
“The success of HOPE-EDU rests on your shoulders. Let us work together to ensure that no state is left behind,” she told the participants.
Earlier, HOPE-EDU Programme Manager, Olumayowa Aleshin, presented an overview of the initiative, including its financing arrangements, implementation targets and key milestones.
The programme is intended to widen access to quality education, particularly for children in rural communities, marginalised populations and groups currently excluded from formal schooling.
However, its results will depend not only on the scale of the funding but also on whether federal and state authorities provide the required resources, meet performance conditions and demonstrate measurable improvements in access, teaching and learning.
