The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa has inaugurated a 14-member committee to supervise and monitor special school projects embarked on by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to handle out -of -school children.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, Alausa stated that the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee for Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools, represents another important milestone in the collective determination to transform basic education in Nigeria.
According to the Minister, “the Universal Basic Education Commission has invested substantial public resources in establishing Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools across our country.
“These projects were conceived to achieve specific national objectives. The Smart Schools are designed to prepare Nigerian children for the digital economy through technology-enabled teaching and learning.
“The Bilingual Schools are intended to promote linguistic inclusion, improve learning outcomes and strengthen national integration, and the Alternative Schools are aimed at providing quality education opportunities for vulnerable children, especially girls, out-of-school children and other underserved populations”.
He however lamented that the schools were not achieving the purpose for which they were created as many children were still out of school despite government’s huge investment.
“Our responsibility, therefore, extends beyond building classrooms.
Our responsibility is to ensure that every educational investment made by government translates into meaningful learning opportunities for Nigerian children”, he said.
Speaking to the Committee, the Minister said, “distinguished members of the Committee, today, you are not being inaugurated simply to monitor construction sites, you are being entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that these schools become living institutions where children learn, teachers teach and communities thrive.
“Your task therefore is to follow every project from conception to completion. From completion to handover. From handover to operation. From staffing to student enrolment; and from enrolment to measurable learning outcomes”.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba stated that the Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools Projects represent some of the Federal Government’s most significant investments in basic education.
“Together, they are expanding access to quality education, promoting digital and innovative learning, providing educational opportunities for Out-of-School Children and other vulnerable learners, and strengthening the delivery of inclusive basic education nationwide”, she said.
Garba therefore urged the committee members to “approach this important national responsibility with professionalism, objectivity and a shared commitment to excellence. I am confident that, working together, we will accelerate the completion, commissioning, operationalisation and sustainability of these projects and ensure that they deliver lasting educational benefits to Nigerian children”.
Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye appreciated the government for the opportunity to serve and pledged to work assiduously for the benefit of the Nigerian child.
