Governor Hyacinth Alia Launches BRACE-UP Project and Receives Golden Teacher Award as Benue Targets Zero Out-of-School Children

In a significant step toward revitalizing basic education in Benue State, Executive Governor Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has launched the ambitious BRACE-UP initiative while receiving national recognition for his teacher-friendly policies. The announcements came during the maiden edition of the Benue State Basic Education Summit, held on February 20, 2026, at the Moses Orshio Adasu University College of Health Sciences Auditorium in Makurdi.

Organized by the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE), Universal Learning Solutions (ULS), and other partners, the summit focused on addressing the challenge of out-of-school children and strengthening foundational education across the state.

The highlight of the event was the official launch of the **Building Rights to Access and Compulsory Education for Un-enrolled Pupils (BRACE-UP)** project. This evidence-based, sustainable initiative aims to ensure that no school-age child in Benue is left behind. Governor Alia emphasized that the program will mobilize community leaders, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders to identify out-of-school children, provide flexible learning pathways, and monitor each learner’s progress from enrollment through completion. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to free and compulsory basic education from Basic One to Basic Nine in all government public schools, declaring that education is a fundamental right that must be accessible to every child.

Governor Alia highlighted several achievements under his leadership in the education sector. These include the construction and rehabilitation of over 400 classrooms (with figures cited as high as 422 in some reports), the establishment of 36 libraries and two hostels, the supply of over 7,000 whiteboards, digital and non-digital library equipment, teaching and learning materials, and the recruitment and deployment of more than 9,000 teachers with consistent salary payments and harmonized retirement ages. Additional efforts involve agricultural education training programs, school farms, young farmers’ clubs, sports equipment distribution, entrepreneurial skills development, automated payroll systems, digital school censuses, and digital resource centers to enhance service delivery.

The governor’s efforts were recognized when the National Union of Teachers (NUT), led by National President Comrade Audu Titus Amba, presented him with the Golden Award for Education and Teacher Friendliness. The award honors his contributions to revitalizing basic education and supporting teachers in the state.

At the summit, student marshals from across the 23 Local Government Education Authorities were inaugurated to monitor and report on out-of-school children in their communities. The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education handed over a database identifying 16,310 out-of-school children in Benue (part of a national figure of around 700,000), prompting immediate action: the state government provided school uniforms and enrolled 500 such children in various primary and junior secondary schools.

Partners contributed generously to the cause. UBEC flagged off the Learners Support Programme nationwide and donated 38,700 school kits to Benue for distribution to underserved children. Fidelity Bank provided 500 solar school bags, UNICEF donated 2,000 exercise books, and ULS supplied literacy materials.

Former Governor Senator Dr. Gabriel Suswam, who chaired the occasion, commended Governor Alia’s strategic plan for basic education. SUBEB Executive Chairman Dr. Grace Adagba presented the governor’s scorecard, noting alignment with five of his seven priority pillars—Infrastructure and Environment, Security, Human Capital and Social Development, Agriculture and Rural Development, and ICT—and the national UBE priorities of Access, Quality, and System Optimization.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba, and other dignitaries, including panelists from religious, traditional, and academic sectors, praised the initiatives. The event underscored a collective push for accessible, quality, and technology-driven basic education in Benue State, with Governor Alia pledging full administrative support to ensure no child is left at home due to lack of opportunity. This summit and its outcomes signal a renewed momentum in tackling one of Nigeria’s most pressing educational challenges at the state level.