The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has expressed the commission’s commitment to assisting state governments in transforming their schools into smart institutions that meet the demands of 21st century education.
He made this statement while visiting Science Model Primary School Chaza Suleja, one of five science model schools that the Niger State Government has planned to convert into smart schools.
Mr. David Apeh, Head of Public Relations and Protocol at UBEC, confirmed this in an Abuja statement.
Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, Chairman of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Commission, explained that the Niger State Government made this decision because it wanted to upgrade its schools to world-class standards and ensure that its young citizens received a high-quality education that would allow them to compete with their peers in nations worldwide.
Prior to the Executive Secretary’s visit, a team from the Universal Basic Education Commission’s (UBEC) Digital Resource Centre, led by Dr. Hafsat Lawal Kontagora, arrived in Minna for an examination of the schools to assess their readiness to begin smart education. The team visited schools in New Bussa, Suleja, Beri, and Lapai.
Dr. Kontagora expressed satisfaction with their findings, noting that many state governments had begun to tap into the federal government’s Smart Schools Programme and were establishing their own smart schools in an attempt to provide high-quality 21st-century education that emphasised creativity, innovation, problem solving, and critical thinking.
So far, the federal government has created 37 smart schools around the country (one for each state and the FCT), complete with cutting-edge equipment and modern facilities, 14 of which have already begun teaching and learning.