The Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), has flagged off a two-day sensitisation meeting for beneficiary schools under the 2025 Greening Schools and Climate Change Education Intervention (GSCCEI) Programme.
The Executive Chairman of Ekiti SUBEB, Prof. Femi Akinwumi, who flagged off the programme in Ado-Ekiti, said the initiative had been repositioned in line with global best practices to integrate climate action, environmental sustainability and green entrepreneurship into basic education.
Akinwumi said the deliverables for beneficiary schools included the establishment of functional tree nurseries, aggressive tree planting, school gardens and at least one viable enterprise, such as poultry farming, vegetable production or fishery/aquaculture.
He also listed the formation of Greening Clubs, Climate and Green Champions Clubs as part of the programme, saying they would promote environmental awareness, climate action, leadership and sustainable practices among learners.
The chairman urged the schools to make judicious use of the funds provided, stressing that UBEC and SUBEB would track and monitor the implementation of the programme through its guidelines, handbook and web-based monitoring and evaluation portal.
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Akinwumi attributed the achievements recorded in basic education in the state to the passion of Gov. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji for education, as demonstrated by the prompt payment of UBEC/SUBEB matching grants.
He noted that two per cent of the matching grants had been allocated to the GSCCEI programme to ensure its effective implementation.
The SUBEB chairman urged participants to take the sensitisation seriously and become climate champions in their schools and communities.
He said schools occupied a strategic position in nurturing environmentally responsible citizens capable of building resilient communities.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Michael Omolayo, said climate change remained one of the greatest environmental threats confronting schools and communities in Ekiti and Nigeria at large.
Omolayo said its effects were already evident in the state through flooding of school premises, gully erosion washing away school farms and playgrounds, and windstorms blowing off roofs and damaging buildings.
He said the situation had resulted in disruption of learning, destruction of infrastructure and loss of instructional materials.
The permanent secretary said the GSCCEI programme was a direct response to the challenges, as it would equip learners and teachers with practical measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
He listed the measures to include massive tree planting to serve as windbreakers and erosion control, establishment of orchards and school gardens to promote climate-smart agriculture, proper waste management and environmental sanitation, as well as promotion of renewable practices in schools.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba, represented by the State UBEC Coordinator, Mr Tokunbo Olajubu, described the GSCCEI as a strategic intervention designed to integrate climate change education into the basic education curriculum.
Garba said UBEC was committed to equipping young learners with the knowledge, values and practical green skills required to address environmental challenges and contribute to sustainable national development.
She said the programme was in line with the Federal Government’s National Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) and Nigeria’s commitments under the UNESCO Greening Education Partnership.
The UBEC executive secretary explained that each beneficiary school was expected to maintain a tree nursery, develop a school garden, plant economic and shade trees, and operate a viable agricultural enterprise that would serve both educational and economic purposes.
She added that proceeds from the enterprises would support school improvement activities.
Garba commended Ekiti SUBEB and Gov. Oyebanji for providing an enabling environment and ensuring the timely release of counterpart funds, which, she said, had placed Ekiti among the leading states in accessing and utilising UBEC interventions.
The two-day sensitisation meeting is featuring practical sessions on tree nursery establishment and maintenance, orchard development, vegetable production, poultry and fisheries management, as well as guidelines for managing Greening Clubs.