By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Executive Chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, has reaffirmed the Board’s resolve to enhance teacher quality and strengthen basic education delivery through strategic local and international partnerships.

Dr. Adagba gave the assurance during separate courtesy visits to the British Council and Professor Sagir Abbas, former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, as part of efforts to secure collaborations for teacher training and the upcoming Education Summit scheduled to hold in Makurdi.

In a statement issued by the Board’s Information Officer, Emmanuella Akese, the SUBEB Chairman said the partnership drive was in line with the education reform agenda of Governor Hyacinth Alia, whose administration she said had consistently prioritised teacher development, improved learning environments and access to quality basic education across the state.

She noted that the Governor’s commitment to education had created an enabling environment for meaningful collaborations aimed at repositioning the basic education sector for greater efficiency and impact.

Speaking during her visit to the British Council, Dr. Adagba described continuous professional development for teachers as the foundation of any functional education system.

“Teacher quality remains the backbone of any successful education system. At Benue SUBEB, we are deliberately pursuing partnerships that will expose our teachers to global best practices in pedagogy, leadership and curriculum delivery.

“We believe that collaborating with the British Council will significantly strengthen our teacher training programmes and ultimately translate to better learning outcomes for children in Benue State,” she added.

Dr. Adagba expressed appreciation to the British Council representative, Mr. Daniel Fwanshishak for the warm reception and the Council’s willingness to explore areas of collaboration with the Board.

In a related engagement, the SUBEB Chairman paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Sagir Abbas at the National Universities Commission (NUC), where she sought intellectual and technical support for the forthcoming Education Summit.

“The Education Summit is designed to bring together policymakers, academics and education practitioners to critically examine the future of basic education in Benue State and, by extension, Nigeria,” Dr. Adagba explained.

“We consider seasoned academics like Prof. Sagir as critical partners whose wealth of experience will enrich discussions and help shape practical and sustainable reforms,” she said.

She further stated that the summit would serve as a platform for aligning basic education policies with national development goals, while strengthening collaboration between basic and higher education stakeholders.

Dr. Adagba commended Prof. Abbas for his contributions to education development in Nigeria and expressed optimism that the proposed partnerships would yield long-term benefits for teachers, learners and the education system in Benue State and beyond.