FG leveraging digital technology to transform basic education — UBEC boss

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba has said that the commission is leveraging digital technology to transform basic education such that public schools in Nigeria can compete globally.

She noted that with the Korean government, the Federal Government through the commission has redefined the landscape of basic education through technology, innovative teaching, and inclusive learning.

Garba stated this at the official closing ceremony of the $10 million funded Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA-Nigeria Smart Education Project.

She expressed satisfaction that through collaboration with KOICA, the commission has established 37 smart schools in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Out of this number, she disclosed that 21 of them are currently in operation across the country as efforts are ongoing to commence academic activities in the remaining 16 smart schools.

On the impact of the introduction of smart education in Nigeria, the UBEC boss said over 8,000 learners have benefited in 21 states where the smart schools are fully operational.

She recalled that before the smart education project began in 2021; Nigeria was confronted with sobering realities of over 10.1 million school-age children who were out of school, 70 per cent of those enrolled lacked foundational learning skills, while more than 60 per cent of public primary school teachers did not possess basic digital literacy.

She added that the commission was daunted by statistics, because it saw the possibilities to re-imagine learning, bridge the digital divide, and to empower schools and teachers to become catalysts for lasting transformation.

“In collaboration with KOICA and other strategic partners, we achieved significant milestones. We developed Nigeria’s first Smart Education Master Plan, trained over 300 teachers and school leaders, established six world class Content Development Studios, and created nearly 4,000 digital learning contents in Mathematics and Science.

“This is in addition to the independent effort undertaken by the commission to build 37 UBE Model Smart Schools (one in each state and FCT). Six of which KOICA intervened and supported as earlier reiterated.

“Though KOICA focuses on six smart schools, the outcome of the project has reached over 8,000 learners in 21 states where the smart schools are fully operational.

“You will all agree with me that these are more than numbers. They are lives touched, futures reshaped, and a growing belief that our public schools can compete globally..

“Our administration is not just talking about change, we are executing it by transforming basic education, one reform at a time,” she stated.

While commending the Korean government for the support through its development agency, KOICA, Garba, said the collaboration has witnessed massive investment in infrastructure in the six pilot schools smart schools supported by the Korean government with each of the six schools equipped with state-of-the-art Content Development Studios (CDS) to enable teachers develop real world applicable digital content for their learners.

“Today, we are closing a project, ‘The Project for the Implementation of Multimedia Learning Environment and Teaching Capacity Building for Nigeria Public Primary and Junior Secondary Schools.

“We are also celebrating a transformational journey, one that has redefined the landscape of basic education through technology, innovative teaching, and inclusive learning,” she stated.

Garba also revealed that through strategic reforms since her assumption of office, the commission has removed long-standing bottlenecks and opened the door for states to access the resources they need, efficiently and transparently.

She lamented that for more than 20 years, a rigid action plan made it nearly impossible for states to access matching grants, saying it represents two decades of missed potential, stalled projects, and blocked progress.

“We have changed that and the impact is already visible with about 3 million children impacted, fund utilisation has exceeded 60 per cent, about 420,009 library materials distributed, more than 158,000 Nigerian History books delivered, 740 interactive smart boards, 250 desktop computers for girls’ alternative high schools and 140 talking computers for learners with special needs,” she stated.

Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC (Technical), Mr Razaq Akinyemi Olajuwon, in his presentation overview of the UBEC-KOICA smart education project, aims to revolutionise education by incorporating technology into learning environments.

He noted that the initiative has increased the capacity of teachers in the use and development of ICT content and improved access to quality Information as well as communication technology teaching contents in the classroom.

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Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Eunsub Kim, said the project uses a blended learning approach, shifting classrooms from teacher-centred to student-centred learning.

Represented by the agency’s manager, David Nkwa, Kim said the project in the last five years, has improved quality education in Nigeria, especially improving learning outcomes at the basic level of education.

He noted that while the national curriculum remains the same, teaching methods and delivery are re-imagined to boost learner engagement and outcomes.

He said: “We’re able to see that students from the smart schools have performed better, especially in Mathematics and science subjects, than students from other schools. So basically, this project was made to bring about improvements in learning outcomes in the school, and that’s what has happened so far.”

On his part, Project Manager of the Project Management Consulting (PMC) company, UBION Consortium, Professor Dae Joon Hwang, emphasised the importance of sustainability, calling for greater parental and community involvement.

He assured that the second phase, expected to expand the model to 37 smart schools nationwide, will begin soon.