Delta’s Attend360 Can Strengthen Teacher Accountability Nationwide, Says UBEC

Delta’s Attend360 Can Strengthen Teacher Accountability Nationwide, Says UBEC
UBEC Tells States: Technology Key to Teacher Accountability, UBEC Tells States
Commends Delta’s Teacher Attendance System, Pushes Wider Adoption

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has identified Delta State’s technology-driven teacher attendance monitoring system, Attend360, as an innovation that could be replicated across Nigeria to strengthen accountability and improve learning outcomes.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the platform demonstrates how technology can be deployed to tackle one of the fundamental challenges confronting basic education: ensuring that teachers are consistently present and actively engaged in classrooms.

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“There is no education or quality learning without a good teacher or without a teacher in the classroom. You can build as many schools as you want, but as long as there is no teacher, and a good teacher, in the classroom, learning will not take place,” Garba said.

Delta’s Attend360 Can Strengthen Teacher Accountability Nationwide, Says UBEC

She spoke in Asaba during a courtesy visit to the Delta State Government, represented by Deputy Governor Sir Monday Onyeme, as part of activities marking the 30th Quarterly Meeting of UBEC Management with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).

Garba said Delta State was chosen to host the meeting because of the progress it had recorded in basic education, particularly its use of technology to improve school management, monitor teacher attendance and strengthen accountability.

The meeting, themed “Repositioning Basic Education in Nigeria to Optimise Investment and Impact,” brought together UBEC management and SUBEB chairmen from across the country to examine ways of ensuring that investments and innovations in basic education produce measurable results.

The UBEC boss also commended Delta for its record in accessing the Universal Basic Education (UBE) matching grants, noting that the state had accessed its matching grant up to 2025 and was among the states making progress in the sector.

She, however, urged the state to ensure that available UBEC funds were fully utilised and approved programmes implemented promptly, stressing that investment in education must translate into improved facilities, stronger teaching and better learning outcomes.

Garba further encouraged Delta to position itself to benefit from the education component of the World Bank-supported HOPE Education Programme, which has up to $500 million earmarked for education.

According to her, states seeking to participate in the programme are expected to access the 2026 matching grant and implement at least 50 per cent of their 2025 Action Plan.

She urged the state to sustain its investment in education, maximise available resources and take advantage of UBEC’s technical support.

Responding, Onyeme said Delta remained committed to improving its education system and expanding access to quality education.

The Deputy Governor clarified that the state had about ₦1 billion in unutilised funds, rather than the ₦8 billion earlier referenced, adding that Delta had implemented about 90 per cent of its 2025 Action Plan and had already received its 2026 matching grant.

Describing education as one of the state’s major areas of investment, Onyeme pledged that the government would continue to improve its performance.

“We will continue to improve and do our best to ensure that we give education to as many citizens as possible,” he said.

Garba also paid a courtesy visit to the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Azinge, where she called for stronger collaboration between traditional institutions, governments and education agencies in advancing basic education.

She said UBEC’s objective was to ensure that every Nigerian child, regardless of location, family background or circumstances, had access to quality basic education.

Garba acknowledged the Asagba’s support for education initiatives in Delta, including efforts relating to smart schools, and urged traditional institutions to continue supporting efforts to improve access and quality.

Azinge described basic education as the foundation for Nigeria’s future, saying it was at that stage that children were nurtured, trained and prepared for the challenges ahead.

He particularly stressed the importance of quality teachers in primary schools, noting that the quality of teachers would ultimately determine the quality of people produced by the education system.

“If you have quality teachers, you produce quality people,” he said.

The Asagba urged UBEC and SUBEB chairmen to confront the challenges facing basic education honestly and develop practical solutions, stressing that no child, including children with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, should be left behind.

Delta’s Attend360 Can Strengthen Teacher Accountability Nationwide, Says UBEC

Garba said the priority following the engagements was to ensure that investments, innovations and commitments by states translated into tangible improvements in classrooms and better learning outcomes.

She assured Nigerians that UBEC would continue to work with state governments, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to provide the technical support and collaboration required to strengthen basic education nationwide.