The United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening basic education in Benue State through interventions.
This was made known during a strategic needs assessment visit to the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) headquarters in Makurdi on Wednesday
Speaking during the meeting, UNICEF International Consultant, Michelle Boujikian who led the UNICEF delegation in an interactive session with SUBEB officials
highlighted ongoing efforts to address the educational challenges faced by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps. Stressing UNICEF’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding every child’s right to quality education and the importance of reliable data in shaping impactful interventions in Benue State.
Responding, the Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Dr. Grace Adagba, commended UNICEF for its continued support, particularly in the provision of additional learning materials during the Benue Education Summit 2026. She disclosed that SUBEB had conducted several surveys and data collection exercises which reveal critical needs among children in the state including shortages of school supplies, inadequate feeding programmes, and low parental motivation.
Dr. Adagba highlighted UNICEF’s potential role in the successful implementation of the “Building Rights to Access and Compulsory Education for Un-enrolled Pupils” (BRACE-UP) Project. The initiative, recently launched initiative by Alia-led administration which aims to reintegrate out-of-school children across the state into formal basic education.
She maintained that, “collaboration with UNICEF could strengthen key components of Project BRACE-UP, including training parents to serve as motivation agents for massive enrollment of out-of-school children, providing financial stipends to vulnerable families, revitalizing the School Feeding Programme, and promoting compulsory enrollment in formal basic education”.
An Education Specialist from UNICEF Enugu Field Office, Mr Believe Eke commended Dr. Adagba for her visionary leadership and openness to partnership. He revealed that UNICEF would support the BRACE-UP initiative with a structured one-year implementation plan, including the provision of facilitators and the training of parents and education stakeholders on positive parenting practices to ensure sustainable impact. Mr Eke added that UNICEF had marked IDP Camps and basic schools across the three zones of the State for the distribution of 400 sets of ‘school in the box’.
In their separate remarks, Mrs. Obasiegbe Nneka, UNICEF Education Specialist from Abuja Office, Mrs Obasiegbe Nneka and Dr. Ngulum Emmanuel, UNICEF Desk Officer, Benue State, unanimously applauded SUBEB for their continued partnership with UNICEF in actualising its pillar of ACCESS.
