THE Universal Basic Education Commission through its Digital Resource Centre (DRC), has trained some teachers and other personnel ready for take-off of the Federal Government's Model Smart Schools in two pilot states of Kwara and Kano.

A statement by the Public Relations Officer of UBEC, Mr David Apeh in Abuja, noted that the National Coordinator, DRC, Professor Bashir Galadanci led the monitoring team to the model smart school in Tarda, Kano, where he disclosed that nineteen (19) Smart school personnel were trained in Kwara and twenty (20) in Kano States, respectively.

Apeh also noted that Dr Hafsat Lawal Kontagora, the Head of Capacity Development led the team to Ilorin, Kwara where the training was held simultaneously from 2nd-6th May 2023.

According to the statement the training was designed to adequately equip the Smart School personnel with the requisite skills for the commencement of operations during the third term 2022/2023 academic session in the two states.

Apeh further noted that the Commission had earlier proposed a pilot third term in selected Smart Schools including Kano and Kwara States.

He said the purpose of the third term was to avail UBEC the opportunity to test-run on a small scale some of the Smart Schoolchools and identify challenges that might be encountered in the course of its operations and address them, before the beginning of the 2023/2024 academic session when other Smart Schools are expected to commence activities on a large scale.

He added that the training focused on Blended Learning techniques and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skill sets with resource persons from Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education serving as the trainers.

“The activity offered intensive specialized hands-on training on ICT skills as well as the concept and practice of Blended Learning to Principals, Teachers, Administrators, and ICT Personnel of the selected Smart Schools.

“Additionally, the training offered mentoring exercises for the trainees in both States,” the statement said.

Recall that the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, had insisted that all teachers to be deployed to the 37 Smart Schools being constructed by the Federal Government would receive rigorous and intensive training similar to that being offered to their counterparts in Korea.

Accoding to the memorandum of understanding signed between UBEC and Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), Korean experts are expected to train the teachers to be deployed in line with the established standards set for the schools that are supposed to serve as models in the country.

He stated this while receiving a 6-member team of Korean experts led by Prof. Youngwoo Park when they paid him a courtesy visit at the end of their 2-week visit to Nigeria in the UBEC headquarters.

Bobboyi said the Smart Schools initiative would boost use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), for teaching and learning, saying this becomes necessary to ensure that Nigeria competes favourably in the present world of technology.

He emphasised that one of the best ways to achieve the milestone was to introduce children to e-learning from the moment they enrolled in school.

“In many parts of the world e-learning is an integral part of learning. Some private schools have been into this business for some time now.

“For public schools, we are pushing hard to ensure that we offer this opportunity to every Nigerian child regardless of whether they can afford the expenses or not,” he said