Universal Basic Education and Achievement of Millennium Development Goals

Abstract

Illiteracy has been identified as a major factor militating against personal and national development of individuals and nations, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this direction nations have synergized to come up with a lot of initiatives aimed at reducing and completely eliminating illiteracy, where possible. For this reason, targets have been set, and projects, programmes and schemes instituted to achieve zero level of illiteracy. One of such is maximizing access to quality education in all nooks and crannies of Nigeria. This is where the Universal Basic Education (UBE) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) stand out significantly. This article presented a review of the UBE and MDGs vis-à-vis their antecedents. The components and objectives of UBE were also highlighted. A discussion on the extent of achievement was opened as well. From the appraisal of the discussion, certain recommendations were made to soothe the identified challenges.