Hot SourceBy MalachyAgbo
When he founded the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, former President of Nigeria, Dr. NnamdiAzikiwe gave the institution a simple but profound motto: “To restore the dignity of man”.
Since the premier indigenous university opened its doors to students in 1960, that vision has helped countless students successfully navigate a pathway in diverse sectors and professions. We can deduce in those immortal words, what the true essence of education should be, which is its capacity to transform societies – ensuring a dignified life for all.
Dr. Peter NdubuisiMbah, the governor of Enugu State, clearly understands this. Through a clear-headed and innovative model, he is championing a revolution in the education industry in the state. This painstaking model offers children an enduring platform to compete confidently with their peers across the globe in both character and learning.
From the inception of his administration, Dr. Mbah launched an ambitious initiative known as the Smart School Project across all 260 wards in Enugu State, aimed at revolutionizing the state’s educational landscape. The project includes the construction of modern buildings and seeks to integrate cutting-edge technology into classrooms, ensuring that students are equipped with the digital skills necessary for the modern world.
Governor Mbah has stated that the Smart Green Schools are designed to move beyond traditional ways of learning and prepare students for the future. He has also emphasized the importance of inclusivity, ensuring that education is accessible, fun, fair, and full of opportunity. The state government has allocated over 33 percent – a significant portion of its budget in two consecutive years to education to support this initiative.
By enhancing educational facilities with smart technologies, Governor Mbah aims to provide a more interactive and engaging learning environment that prepares students for future challenges and opportunities. This initiative underscores the state’s commitment to improving educational standards and accessibility through innovative solutions.
Each smart school will feature modern infrastructure, including solar power, internet connectivity, robotics and AI centres, and interactive digital whiteboards, ensuring students are well-equipped for the digital age.
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the project also emphasises environmental sustainability. The smart schools will include solar power systems, medical clinics, and integrated smart farms to support experiential learning. These facilities will not only enhance the educational experience but also foster environmental stewardship among students.
In all the 260 political wards in the state, there is one smart school. For political wards with more than two autonomous communities, painstaking care was taken to ensure centrality. So, in choosing the site for the school, all stakeholders in every ward including the traditional rulers, town union presidents, councillor were consulted. Once a consensus regarding a particular site is reached, construction was then carried out.
In some locations where disputes over ownership of land arose, all such were resolved amicably before contractors were mobilised to the sites. So, it is inconceivable to find a ward in the state where the people would claim a smart school has been built at a distant location. In any case, pupils who may need to commute to schools due to the location of their homes would be transported, to and fro, free of charge in CNG-powered buses provided by the state government.
The construction of smart schools in the wards also came with it positive community impact and burgeoning economic activities, from the supply of skilled labour to the supply of building materials – some by the indigenes and residents – to local food vendors. They are all direct beneficiaries of the construction and will also benefit more on completion as each smart school will have paved access roads, off- grid electricity and round the season functional borehole.
Another social impact is the issue of out-of-school children in the state. The schools are designed to address frontally the menace of out-of-school children and child abuse. By the time all the schools take off as planned, in September, it will be difficult to find a child of school age roaming the streets during school hours. The reason is not far-fetched – it is criminal for parents to keep their children at home during school hours, or on the street soliciting alms or hawking. The school fees are free, free meal, free education materials, free school uniforms, free medical care etc.
Regarding claims that adequate preparation was not made to train teachers that will teach pupils at the Smart Schools, nothing can be farther from the truth. Enugu State Smart Green School system is designed to ensure that students do not graduate without the necessary practical skills; where children have to resort to cyber cafés to learn basic computer skills. The goal is to ensure that students who complete their education possess both theoretical knowledge and practical capabilities.
As part of the process to recruit teachers suitable for the smart schools in the state, a Computer-Based Test (CBT) assessment was conducted. The outcome reflected the strictness of the test. Out of 260,00 applicants, 17,000 participated in the CBT, and only 4,196 succeeded in the exam, which assessed basic education from Primary 1 to JSS 3. Eventually, only about 4,000 passed. Many failed not due to a lack of academic knowledge, but rather because they were unfamiliar with operating a computer. In fact, 80 per cent of the participants had never even touched a mouse.
In the smart schools, technology is at the forefront of teaching and learning. If teachers are not proficient in computer literacy, they simply cannot function within the framework of the smart green school model. It is a practical impossibility. Through this initiative, the Enugu State Government is taking substantial steps toward creating a generation of educators who are not just knowledgeable but are also adept in using technology, thereby laying a solid foundation for a brighter educational future. The state went a notch further to establish the Enugu State Center for Experiential Learning and Innovation (CELI), where teachers are trained on the 21st century rapid technology advancements.
To ensure that communities take ownership of the smart schools, the secretary to Enugu State Government (SSG), Prof. ChidiebereOnyia, led a delegation to all the 260 political wards in the state to interact with the stakeholders and other concerned people on the need to set up building committees in the area. This creates the necessary guardrails, as these stakeholders help raise an alarm when contractors try to cut corners. He did not stop there, he cascaded the engagement to the local government level with a meeting with critical stakeholders, on the need to participate actively in the construction and management of the school, and ensure they are well secured.
But despite such robust scrutiny, there has been some less-than-pleasant tales across the 260 different sites in the course of construction. A few contractors tried to cut corners. But the state government was ahead of such irresponsibility. It set up a robust monitoring team led by the SSG and other professionals in building construction space. That led to the conduct of integrity test in all the buildings and any one that was found wanting was either demolished completely or partially.
In appreciation of the milestone achieved in the education sector by the administration of Dr. Peter Mbah, just within two years, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Malick Fall, was full of praises for the state governor when he engaged with students at Owo Smart Green Smart School in Enugu during a visit focused on accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recently. The visit highlighted the importance of the smart school initiative in preparing children for the digital age and fostering innovation. The UN Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah, also commended Enugu’s efforts in education, healthcare, and the digital economy, aligning with UNDP’s development priorities.
Similarly, underscoring the importance of the initiative, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Commission, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, commended the Enugu State Government, led by Governor Peter Mbah, for initiating the over 260 Smart Green Schools to cater for basic education in the state, describing it as brave and strategic in a country where basic education had suffered serious neglect.
In conclusion, the Smart School Program is more than an educational facility; it is a holistic ecosystem that blends academics, technology, health, and sustainability. By nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and environmental consciousness, the programme positions learners to become global citizens equipped for the challenges and opportunities of the future.
It will have a lasting impact on the lives of countless pupils, students, teachers and parents and will serve as a model for other peer states. Governor Peter Mbah’s introduction of these innovations in the state is genuinely commendable, worthy of emulation and reflects a forward-thinking approach to education and poverty eradication as many will find their way into prosperity.
•Dr. MalachyAgbo is the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Enugu State.
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