From Classrooms To Teacher Recruitment: Akwa Ibom Unveils ₦30.4 Billion Education Investment

By ARIT OTONG UBOK

Investment Covers Schools & Retirees

AKWA Ibom State has reported a combined commitment of approximately ₦30.4 billion to Universal Basic Education matching grants and gratuity payments for retired primary school teachers between 2023 and 2026.

The Executive Chairman of AK-SUBEB, Rt. Hon. Anietie Etuk, announced the figure at a ministerial briefing in Uyo on 21 September 2026.

According to him, the state contributed about ₦10.9 billion as counterpart funding for UBEC matching grants. The government also paid ₦19.5 billion in gratuities to retired primary school teachers.

The two expenditures, he said, bring the state’s combined financial commitment in the areas to about ₦30.4 billion.

Using UBEC Support to Upgrade Schools

The counterpart funding has enabled Akwa Ibom to access intervention funds from UBEC for public basic education projects.

Etuk listed classroom construction, furniture, perimeter fencing and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities among the interventions. Learning materials, including English and Mathematics textbooks, have also been supplied.

Since 2023, the programme has produced 34 classroom blocks across the state. In addition, approximately 270,000 copies of teachers’ guidebooks have been provided for distribution.

The board said infrastructure renovation is also being approached more broadly through its intervention programme.

Curriculum & Teacher Development

Physical infrastructure represents only one part of the education strategy.

AK-SUBEB has also distributed the current curriculum to pre-primary, primary and junior secondary schools across the state. The move is intended to keep classroom instruction aligned with current educational requirements.

At the same time, teachers across various subject areas have participated in capacity-building programmes.

The training has extended to School-Based Management Committee chairmen and sports desk officers. Their programmes have covered subjects such as science and technology, climate change education and contemporary agricultural practices.

Etuk said the training is aimed at strengthening human capital within the education system and keeping personnel abreast of changing trends.

2,000 New Teachers

The government has also approved the recruitment of 2,000 teachers for public schools.

Etuk said the recruits would be posted to their respective Local Government Areas of origin.

The recruitment comes as the state combines staffing measures with investments in infrastructure, learning materials and professional development.

That approach places both the physical and human components of basic education within the same intervention framework.

A Broader Education Strategy

Akwa Ibom’s reported spending points to a strategy that goes beyond building classrooms.

Counterpart funding has been used to unlock UBEC intervention resources, while state funds have also supported gratuity payments for retired primary school teachers. At the school level, the interventions cover infrastructure, sanitation, furniture, textbooks and other learning resources.

Meanwhile, curriculum distribution and teacher training address the quality and relevance of instruction, while the planned recruitment of 2,000 teachers targets staffing needs.

Etuk said these measures collectively form part of the state’s continuing effort to improve teaching and learning outcomes in public basic education schools.