By Government, through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has trained 420 members of School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to enhance community participation, accountability and grassroots governance in public basic schools across the state.
Speaking during a tour of the ongoing four-day capacity-building programme in Gombe Central, the Director of Social Mobilisation, SUBEB Gombe, Mohammed Saje Daud, said the initiative is aimed at ensuring every public school operates with a functional and effective management committee.
Daud explained that the session in Gombe Central marks the final phase of the statewide training, following similar exercises in Gombe North and Gombe South Senatorial Districts.
“This is the final phase of the training, having earlier conducted two similar sessions in the other senatorial districts. By the end of this programme, God willing, we will have achieved our target.
The participants we have seen are respected community elders, people of integrity who are eager to learn and ready to cascade the training to others who could not attend,” he said.
He noted that the programme adopts a step-down training model, requiring participants to return to their respective communities and organise in-house sessions for other SBMC members.
“We expect them to conduct step-down training in their schools so that all members are carried along and fully understand their roles,” he added.
Daud also highlighted the importance of counterpart funding in making the programme possible, noting that the state government and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) each contributed 50 per cent of the funding.
“Without counterpart funding, this kind of intervention would not have been possible. In some states, similar programmes are not taking place because the matching grants were not paid,” he said.
According to him, Gombe State has already released its 2025 counterpart funding, allowing SUBEB to smoothly transition from the 2024 action plan into the 2025 implementation cycle.
One of the trainers, Adamu Aliyu of Central Primary School, Korea, Barunde, described participants as attentive and cooperative, stressing that the training is key to revitalising basic education at the grassroots.
“Many people assume schools belong solely to the government, but they belong to the community as well. This training empowers communities to mobilise local resources and complement government efforts,” he said.
Another trainer, Mohammed Kudi Dukku, described the workshop as timely, especially in strengthening school improvement plans, emergency preparedness and community responsibility.
Participants also expressed optimism that the training would positively transform school management in their communities. Amina Adam and Shehu Ahmed, SBMC members from Central Primary School, Deba, described the workshop as a valuable refresher on their roles and responsibilities and pledged to organise step-down training for colleagues who were unable to attend.
