By Felix Khanoba
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has urged public relations and information officers across the country to adopt innovative communication strategies to showcase government interventions and improve public awareness of investments in basic education.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, gave the charge on Monday at the commission’s 12th Annual Training Workshop for public relations and information officers of UBEC and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The workshop brought together communication officers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while the Chairman of Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Kassim Mohamed, formally declared the programme open.
Garba, whose address was delivered by the Director, North Central Zone, Mr Edward Ababalaka, described effective communication as a critical component of educational development, stressing that government interventions would have greater public value when their achievements were properly communicated.
She noted that despite progress in school infrastructure, teacher professional development, instructional materials and digital learning initiatives, the impact of such investments could be undermined if stakeholders and the public were not adequately informed.
The UBEC boss described public relations officers as key players in translating education policies and programmes into compelling stories of impact, building public confidence and encouraging community participation in basic education delivery.
She urged the officers to embrace innovation, professionalism and proactive engagement, particularly as digital media continues to reshape information dissemination and misinformation becomes an increasing challenge.
According to her, the workshop was designed to improve participants’ skills in advocacy, media relations, stakeholder engagement, content development, digital communication, reputation management and strategic information dissemination.
Garba challenged the officers to move beyond routine publicity by documenting success stories from schools and communities.
She said every classroom constructed, teacher trained and learning resource provided represented a story of transformation that deserved to be brought to public attention.
She also called on SUBEB chairmen to adequately fund and strengthen their public relations departments, describing the officers as image-makers responsible for communicating the achievements of their respective boards.
In her welcome address, the Acting Head of Corporate Communications at UBEC, Mrs Kemi Abass, said the responsibilities of public relations officers extended beyond issuing press releases, covering events and updating social media platforms.
She urged them to adopt proactive and impact-driven communication approaches capable of showing how government interventions were improving teaching and learning outcomes.
Abass encouraged participants to deploy modern communication formats, including short documentaries, human-interest stories, infographics, interviews and beneficiary testimonials, to make their messages more engaging and accessible.
She also emphasised the need for closer collaboration between UBEC and SUBEB communication units to promote timely information sharing, coordinated messaging and consistent reporting of achievements across the country.
The acting communications head disclosed that the commission was considering the introduction of a regular UBEC publicity bulletin, a documentary highlighting success stories across UBEC and SUBEBs, as well as a coordinated national digital campaign to increase awareness of basic education interventions.
She said the initiatives would complement the training programme’s objective of strengthening communication capacity, improving inter-agency collaboration and expanding public understanding of efforts to deliver quality basic education.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Education on Media and Communications, Mr Ikharo Attah, underscored the importance of timely and effective communication in showcasing the Federal Government’s achievements in the basic education sector.
Attah reaffirmed the commitment of the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, to transforming the education sector, noting that progress in school infrastructure development needed to be consistently communicated to the public.
He cautioned that isolated cases of inadequate school facilities should not overshadow broader improvements being recorded across the country.
He urged public relations officers to consistently tell the stories behind government interventions, particularly ongoing projects and their impact on schools and communities.
Attah also commended UBEC’s corporate communications activities, including its publicity materials, frequently asked questions and public awareness initiatives, urging the commission to extend similar efforts to the state level.
Earlier, the Dean of UBEC/SUBEB Public Relations Officers, Mr Richard Nanpon Jonah, called for dedicated budgetary allocations for public relations activities across SUBEBs.
Jonah said adequate funding would enable communication officers to effectively document and publicise the impact of interventions in their respective states.
He added that substantial investments in basic education would achieve greater public visibility and stakeholder support when backed by effective communication, transparency and sustained engagement.
