The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed a new agreement to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and pre-vocational education in Nigeria.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, said the project, funded through a grant aid from the Japanese Government, would strengthen the foundation of basic education and upgrade facilities in selected model schools across Nasarawa, Benue, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Garba explained that five schools would be developed into regional learning hubs equipped with science laboratories, ICT rooms, vocational workshops, and gender-sensitive sanitation facilities. She said the initiative would help students gain practical skills in computing, home economics, and technical education in line with the new national curriculum.
She described the partnership as part of a long-standing relationship between UBEC and JICA, recalling that between 2004 and 2016, JICA supported the construction of over 1,000 classrooms and trained more than 200,000 teachers.
JICA’s Country Representative, Mr Ishigame Keiji, said the project aims to improve school infrastructure and promote industrial human resource development, reaffirming Japan’s commitment to tackling learning poverty in Nigeria.
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