FG moves to re-contract construction for smart school in Kebbi, Bayelsa

The federal government has revoked its contract with the company handling the construction work for its smart school in Kebbi and re-awarded it.

Yusuf Sununu, the minister of state for education, said the smart school project in Balyelsa is similarly being re-contracted.

In October 2021, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) signed an MoU with the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA) to assist Nigeria in the development of the “smart schools”.

The project is intended to build and equip “smart schools” across the country with modern instructional and vocational materials.

Reportedly valued at N21.6 billion, it is designed to increase the capacity of teachers to develop and use ICT content and materials.

Sununu toured the site of a smart school project in Karshi, Abuja on Tuesday with Tahir Mamman, the federal minister of education.

He said the federal government’s contract with the initial construction company handling the project in Kebbi has been revoked.

He said the construction work of the smart school in Bayelsa is also being re-awarded because the project was lagging in both states.

“No state will be left behind in the smart school application of technology in education,” the minister of state added.

Sununu decried the failure of some states whose smart schools have been completed to supply 75 teachers to be trained to run the project.

He called on these states to emulate the FCT which is providing roads and hostels to expand the scope of the smart school in its domain.

Mamman, the education minister, said UBEC plans to establish one smart school in each state.

He said 26 of the schools have been completed while construction is still ongoing for the remaining ones.

The minister said the smart schools will combine conventional and vocational education to imbue students with monetisable skills.

He added that the project will deliver a safe and “digitalised school system” for pupils to be trained in the use of technology “from kindergarten to basic and junior secondary school”.