The Federal Government has revealed that it has revoked the contract with the firm handling the construction work for its Smart School in Kebbi State due to some lapses and has re-awarded it to another contractor.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, who disclosed this, also mentioned that the government would revoke the contract for the construction of the Smart School in Bayelsa State, stating that due process is being undertaken to revoke the contract and re-award it to another contractor.
He said the government’s desire is that no state will be left behind in the implementation of smart school education in Nigeria.
Sununu spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during the inspection of the construction work for the FCT Smart School located in Karshi. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, expressed satisfaction with the progress made and affirmed that the school would commence academic activities in September with a new intake.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), is building 37 smart schools, one in each state of the Federation and the FCT. While 14 of these schools have completed and commenced full academic activities, others are in various stages of completion.
The Smart Schools, an initiative of the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, are prototypes with separate buildings for pre-primary, primary, Junior Secondary School (JSS), and hostels, all fitted with science laboratories, e-libraries, studios, and robust state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure for enhanced teaching and learning, as well as furnished classrooms.
The Minister of State for Education, Sununu, said that two states, Kebbi and Bayelsa, were currently lagging behind and that the government is making efforts to bring them up to speed with other states.
“The two schools that are lagging behind—that of Kebbi State—have been revoked and awarded to another contractor, and Bayelsa is also undergoing due process to revoke the contract and be re-awarded so that no state will be left behind in the Smart School application of technology in education,” he said.
He also urged states whose smart schools have been completed and handed over to supply the federal government with 75 teachers to be trained to run the schools.
Sununu called on other states to emulate the FCT administration, which is already providing roads and hostel accommodation to expand the scope of the Smart School in its domain with a full complement of staff.
He also called on traditional rulers and residents of Karshi to provide adequate security for the facilities, as they are the primary beneficiaries of their services before other Nigerians.
The Smart School project was initiated and funded by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) with technical support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to increase the capacity of teachers in the development and use of ICT content and to improve access for teachers and pupils to quality teaching and learning materials.
Earlier, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said Nigeria’s education system was currently directed towards technology-enhanced learning to help nurture the thinking and creativity of students.
“This is the type of institution we aspire to have in the country that integrates personal learning and takes technology right from the beginning and makes learning interactive for toddlers; learners take from the foundation and from there to build up to the university level.
“It will help nurture their thinking and creativity. So this is the direction our education is going,” he said.
While describing the pioneer staff of the school as very lucky, he encouraged them to take their jobs seriously, adding that the school would serve as a training ground for other teachers and institutions around them.
The minister, who reiterated the government’s plan to establish one smart school in each state of the federation, said there are currently 26 of them, with construction work on the remaining ones ongoing.
“This is part of the legacy this government is delivering to Nigerians, which is to make provision for a digitalised school system for pupils to be trained in the use of technology right from kindergarten to basic and junior secondary school,” he said.
According to him, the teachers of the schools will not only be involved in the delivery of lessons but also in the development of what the students will be taught.
“This is one of the unique features of this institution; you have facilities that will allow you to develop the content of what you are going to offer within the Nigerian context, values, and national curriculum,” he said.
He further stated that the smart schools would combine conventional and vocational aspects of education so that, upon completion, students would have skills that could help them in life.
On the issue of security for the facility, which is located on the outskirts of Karshi, the minister said the government is aware of security challenges in the country and has put together elaborate security arrangements for all of the smart schools across the country.
According to him, both armed and unarmed security guards are being engaged, while partnerships with host communities are being forged to provide the schools with all necessary security.
He emphasised that strong community engagement is crucial for both security and ensuring institutions positively impact their communities.
“Apart from strengthening the economy of Karshi, it’s a learning centre set up for the training of teachers and other people within the Karshi area. So there’s this sense of ownership by the community, which will help a lot in synergising on many fronts,” he said.
The minister also mentioned that over 11,000 Almajiris have been identified in the FCT alone and will be enrolled in different schools across the country by September.
“On the ground already, we have armed policemen and are expecting armed civil defence personnel. Besides, we also have vigilantes from the community, and we have some programmes we are working on to ensure that this school is perfectly secured.
“We are in collaboration with the community as far as the security of this school is concerned,” the Minister of State for Education said.