Teachers of Smart Schools to receive intensive training before deployment — UBEC boss

THE Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has said that all teachers to be deployed to the 37 Smart Schools being constructed by the Federal Government will receive training similar to that which is being offered to their counterparts in Korea.

Accoding to the memorandum of understanding(MoU) jointly  signed by the UBEC and Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), Korean experts are expected to train the teachers to be deployed in line with the established standards set for the schools meant to serve as models in the country.

He stated this while receiving a six-member team of the Korean experts led by Professor Youngwoo Park, when the team paid him a courtesy call at the end of their two-week visit to Nigeria in the UBEC headquarters.

Bobboyi said the Smart Schools initiative would boost the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), for teaching and learning, saying this becomes necessary to ensure that Nigeria competes favourably in the present world of technology.

He emphasised that one of the best ways to achieve the milestone was to introduce children to e-learning from the moment they are enrolled in school.

“In many parts of the world e-learning is an integral part of learning. Some private schools have been into this business for some time now.From left, Executive Secretary Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Oyo State Branch, Nanzing Rimdan; MAN Vice-President (West), Samuel Kolawole; representative of Ekiti State governor, Muyiwa Olumilua; MAN Vice-President (Lagos), Chief Francis Meshioye; Acting governor Oyo State, Bayo Lawal; MAN Oyo, Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states Branch Chairman, Lanre Popoola; representative of Ondo State governor, Ademujimi Adenike; Director Research, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Professor Dung Pam sha and MAN Director General, Segun Kadir, during the 39th Annual General Meeting of MAN held on Tuesday at Manhattan Hall, Jericho, Ibadan, recently.

“For public schools, we are pushing hard to ensure that we offer this opportunity to every Nigerian child regardless of whether they can afford the expenses or not,” he said

He expressed satisfaction at how soon  the MoU signed between the KOICA and UBEC in October 2021 was already beginning to bear fruits in the smart schools project in the areas of infrastructural development, training of teachers and content development.

Speaking at the occasion, the country director, Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), Mr Son Sungil, stated that the six-member team was mainly made up of school teachers and capacity development experts and had been in Nigeria since August 3, 2022.

The team leader, Professor Youngwoo Park, thanked the Executive Secretary for the warm reception and collaboration they had received from the commission during their stay, noting that the meetings and interactions they had with  the key  stakeholders were extremely beneficial to both parties.

Also speaking during the occasion, the National Co-ordinator of the Smart Schools Programme, Prof. Bashir Galadanci stated that during their stay, the Korean team of experts had shared their experiences on operating smart schools, participated in a workshop on the finalization of training materials for teachers and education managers, and attended a meeting with SUBEB directors overseeing smart schools in their states.

He explained that UBEC had benefitted tremendously from their expertise and wealth of experience.

Some of the 37 smart schools being constructed by UBEC in 36 states of the Federation (and FCT) are scheduled to commence operations during the next academic session.