THE Federal Government has earmarked N47.5 billion for the upgrade of 50 secondary schools nationwide and to equip them with state-of-the-art teaching and learning infrastructure.

Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr Iyela Ajayi, disclosed this while flagging off the infrastructure upgrade at Government Secondary School, Koton Karfe, Kogi State.

According to him, this marked the first phase of the commission’s intervention strategy.

Media gathered that under the project, educational facilities in the beneficiary institutions will be modernised to create enhanced learning environments, equipping schools with the resources needed to prepare students for a competitive future.

The NSSEC boss explained that the intervention covers infrastructure, provision of facilities, and capacity building, and noted that each state in the federation will have at least one school touched in this first phase.

While emphasising the importance of the project in view of the deplorable conditions of some of the schools, Ajayi lauded President Bola Tinubu for approving the project, noting that an assessment of over 40,000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria highlighted an urgent need for intervention.

He said: “We have decided to provide the funds for massive intervention in areas of infrastructural development, provision of facilities, and capacity building for senior secondary education”.

He added that the subsector of the Nigerian education system is not only crucial but vital, saying neglecting secondary education means neglecting the future of Nigerian children.

“This intervention, which upgrades infrastructure, will cover all states. We are intervening in 50 senior secondary schools, with at least one in each state. This is just the first phase. Upon completion, we will report to Mr President and our ministers on the progress.

“The first phase will cover approximately N47.5 billion for these 50 schools,” he added.

The executive secretary urged the contractor, FirstMan Industries, to ensure the project’s timely completion and highest quality delivery.

Head of Physical Planning at NSSEC, Maimuna Umar, provided a breakdown of the project, noting it would include a well-equipped laboratory building.

“One of the blocks would also feature an ICT centre and an e-library, and a 10KVA inverter system to run the computers and to address water needs, the commission will provide a borehole, and each classroom will accommodate a minimum of 46 students,” he stated.

The principal of the school, Mr Yunusa Dauda, said the school had struggled with poor facilities for over 30 years before this intervention.

“For that reason, we have been pleading and seeking government assistance. Today, we thank the Executive Secretary of NSSEC, Dr Iyela Ajayi, Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman and President Tinubu for recognising that this school needed significant upgrades and renovations.”

Earlier, the Managing Director of FirstMan Industries Limited, Mr Emmanuel Akanonu, sought maximum cooperation and promised to deliver a quality project.