The Federal Government has inaugurated a Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee to fast-track the completion, handover and operation of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Smart, Bilingual and Alternative Schools projects across the country.
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The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, as part of efforts to ensure that ongoing investments in basic education translate into fully functional schools that deliver quality learning to Nigerian children.
Speaking during the inauguration, Alausa said the committee’s responsibility goes beyond monitoring infrastructure projects, stressing that its primary objective is to ensure completed schools are fully equipped, adequately staffed, and opened for academic activities.
According to the minister, the committee will oversee the completion of outstanding projects, ensure the provision of furniture and learning equipment, facilitate access to essential utilities, and support the deployment of teachers to the schools.
He said education remains a key pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as critical to economic development, youth empowerment, and national unity.
Alausa noted that although many UBEC projects have reached advanced stages of construction, several have yet to be completed or handed over for use.
“Every day a completed school remains locked is another day thousands of Nigerian children are denied access to quality education,” he said.
The minister urged members of the committee to work closely with UBEC, state governments, State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), and contractors to remove implementation bottlenecks and ensure the schools become operational as quickly as possible.
He added that the committee’s performance would be measured by the number of schools successfully opened and functioning, rather than the number of meetings held or reports produced.
Providing an update on the projects, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, disclosed that 37 Smart Schools have been established nationwide, with 24 already operational and the remaining schools at different stages of completion.
She also revealed that under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, 30 bilingual schools have been established across nine states, while three boarding schools have been completed and commissioned. Four additional boarding schools, she said, are nearing completion and will soon be inaugurated.
Garba added that significant progress has also been recorded in curriculum development, teacher training, textbook production and the procurement of ICT and technical equipment needed to support learning in the new schools.
She noted that the Alternative Schools Programme continues to expand educational opportunities for out-of-school and vulnerable children across Nigeria.
According to her, the newly inaugurated committee will strengthen project implementation by improving oversight, resolving challenges affecting project delivery and enhancing collaboration among relevant government agencies and stakeholders.
The Federal Government said the initiative forms part of its broader commitment to improving access to quality basic education and ensuring that investments in the education sector produce measurable outcomes for learners nationwide.
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