Ebonyi Begins Construction Of 117 Teachers` Quarters – UBEB Boss

• Ebonyi, Teachers Quarters

The Executive Chairman of the Ebonyi Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, says that state government has commenced the construction of 117 staff quarters for teachers in public schools.

Ikpor, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki, commended the Gov. David Umahi for the gesture.

The UBEB boss said that the initiative would provide affordable accommodation for teachers within the school premises.

Read Also: Auto Crash: Ten Young Nigerian Navy Applicants Dead

He said that the initiative would further enhance the commitment of teachers to teaching and to exercise their oversight functions over their wards.

“The 117 staff quarters for teachers is part of the projects that we are doing that is geared towards promoting qualitative education and solving accommodation problems for our teachers.

“The governor ensures that any programme he does gets to all the 171 political wards in the state,” Ikpor said.

He thanked Umahi for his administration’s commitment to the payment of counterpart funds to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) which, he said, had made the board to access its intervention grants from the commission.

He said that the board inherited four years arrears of unpaid counterpart funds which the administration cleared immediately it came on board.

“The essence of payment of counterpart funds is that when state government pays one kobo through UBEC, the Federal Government reciprocates by paying one kobo also through UBEC in the form of marching grants.

“And so, if the state government through UBEC pays N10 million, the Federal Government will also pay N10 million through UBEC.

“We pay counterpart fund while FG pays marching grant and it is from this money put together that we use to do all that we are doing, including training of our teachers, building of structures, among others,’’ he said.

Ikpor said that the board was currently engaged in a three-year infrastructural development projects being handled by contractors.

He said that the projects commenced in February and that the directive was that some of them should be completed by the end of November.

“My people are now in the field visiting the various projects sites to assess the level of completion,” he added.

The chairman, who recently received the best South-East UBEB Chairman Award of ‘Excellence’, lauded the governor for promoting sound and qualitative education in Ebonyi.

Ikpor, who also spoke on his invitation to Abuja by the House of Representatives South-East Ad hoc Committee on Public Accounts, noted that his board had nothing to hide.

Ikpor blamed his absence during the House of Representatives South-East committee’s visit to the board on Dec. 7 on the lack of proper communication.

He, however, said that he would make himself available to the committee, with all relevant documents, once he is properly invited.