Nigeria To Begin Smart Schools Operations In 2023

Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), says some of the newly constructed smart schools in the country will begin operations by January 2023.

The UBEC Executive Secretary, Hamid Bobboyi, made this known when a team of Korean experts led by Professor Dae Joon Hwang of UBION Consortium paid him a courtesy visit at the end of their 4-week stay in Nigeria.

The Country Director of the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), Son Sungil, stated that the 3-man team had been in Nigeria since July 3rd 2022 as part of the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between KOICA and UBEC in October 2021.

The objectives of the MOU are to assist Nigeria in the development of the smart schools’ project, to increase the capacity of teachers in the development and use of ICT content and to improve the access of teachers and pupils to quality teaching and learning materials.

The Team Leader, Prof. Hwang, applauded the Executive Secretary for the warm reception and collaboration received from the Commission during their stay.

He noted that the three pillars of the collaboration revolved around the supply of sophisticated recording and broadcasting studio equipment in some of the smart schools, content development with particular reference to Mathematics and Science, and capacity building for teachers and education managers across the country in the use of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Blended Learning methodology.

Also speaking during the occasion, the Co-ordinator of the Smart Schools Programme, Prof. Bashir Galadanci stated that, during their one-month stay, the Korean team of experts had extensive discussions with officials of UBEC, NERDC and NTI on the Smart Schools Programme.

The delegates also visited the Smart Schools in Lafia, Nasarawa State and Tarda, Kano State and had discussions with the SUBEB chairmen and officials of Kano and Nasarawa states respectively.

In addition, the Korean officials participated in two workshops organized by UBEC; one for the critiquing of training course materials for teachers and principals of smart schools and another for the development of blended lesson templates for use by smart schools.