The Federal Government is set to unveil 12 Model Smart Schools across the six geo-political zones of the federation, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) hinted yesterday.

The Executive Secretary (ES) of the Commission, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, dropped the hint during an interactive session with stakeholders of the UBEC Smart Schools Programme at the Commission’s Digital Resource Centre (DRC) complex, Kado, Abuja.

Bobboyi, who was represented by the National Coordinator of the UBEC Digital Resource Center, Prof Bashir Galadanci, said the commission has built 37 UBE Model Smart Schools, one in each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The UBEC boss noted that 14 of the functional Smart Schools have been rolled out in different parts of the country.

According to him, 12 additional Model Smart Schools, expected to commence academic activities in September 2024, will bring the number of operational Smart Schools to 26.

The ES underscored the significance of the meeting which primarily focused on the proposed take-off of the 12 new smart schools by next month.

He also noted the enormous advantages that can be accrued from the smart school initiative, while expressing optimism for a fruitful dialogue among stakeholders at all levels.

The Head of Capacity Development Unit at the Center, Dr. Hafsat Kontagora, restated the commission’s commitment to revolutionising the basic education sector through the utilization of progressive teaching/learning techniques such as the blended learning methodology which is expected to replace the traditional methods in the specialized schools gradually.

Dr. Kontagora solicited valuable inputs from stakeholders and sought their insights to ascertain the state of preparedness of the smart schools to ensure their successful take-off.

Other stakeholders at yesterday’s interactive session included directors of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB); desk officers overseeing smart schools across the states as well as UBEC state co-coordinators and zonal directors.