The federal government has launched a new initiative to address Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis by accelerating the operation of completed smart, bilingual and alternative schools across the country.
key highlight:
- FG launches school activation initiative: The Federal Government has set up a committee to fast-track the operation of completed smart, bilingual and alternative schools across Nigeria.
- Focus on out-of-school children: The initiative aims to expand access to quality education by enrolling millions of children currently excluded from the formal school system.
- Committee to oversee implementation: The team will supervise school handovers, teacher recruitment, learner enrolment, and the provision of furniture, learning materials and essential utilities.
- Minister warns against idle projects: Education Minister Tunji Alausa said completed schools must become functional learning centres, stressing that success will be measured by schools actively educating children.
- Technology-driven education boost: The initiative will activate UBEC’s smart, bilingual and alternative schools to promote digital learning, STEM education, multilingual instruction and flexible education for vulnerable children.
As part of the effort, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on Tuesday, inaugurated a ministerial implementation and monitoring committee in Abuja, to oversee the activation of the facilities and ensure they begin admitting learners.
The initiative is expected to transform completed school projects into fully functional learning centres, with a particular focus on expanding access to education for children currently excluded from the formal school system.
According to the minister, the programme aligns with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to improve access to quality basic education by ensuring that investments in school infrastructure translate into effective teaching and learning.
Alausa said the era of completed school projects remaining unused must come to an end.
“Infrastructure alone does not educate a child. A completed building without pupils is simply an empty structure. A furnished classroom without teachers remains an idle investment,” he said.
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He explained that although the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had invested heavily in the construction of smart, bilingual and alternative schools nationwide, many of the projects had yet to fulfil their intended purpose because they had not been fully operational.
To address the challenge, the newly inaugurated committee has been tasked with overseeing the final stages of project delivery, including the completion of outstanding works, official handover of facilities, recruitment and deployment of teachers, enrolment of learners, and continuous monitoring of the schools.
The minister stressed that the success of the committee would be judged by the number of schools functioning effectively rather than the volume of reports produced.
“Every day a completed school remains locked represents lost opportunities for thousands of Nigerian children.
“Success will not be measured by the number of reports submitted, but by how many schools are actually teaching Nigerian children,” he added.
As part of its mandate, the committee will work closely with state governments, State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and other stakeholders to ensure the schools are equipped with furniture, instructional materials and essential utilities such as electricity, water supply and internet connectivity.
It will also facilitate the deployment of qualified teachers and support enrolment drives to increase school attendance.
The smart schools initiative was introduced by UBEC to modernise basic education through technology-driven learning.
The schools are equipped with digital classrooms, internet facilities, interactive teaching tools and other resources aimed at strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education while improving digital literacy.
UBEC also established bilingual schools to promote multilingual education and foster national integration, while alternative schools were designed to provide flexible learning opportunities for out-of-school children, girls, street-connected children and other vulnerable groups unable to access conventional education.
Despite these investments, many of the facilities have remained underutilised due to delayed handovers, inadequate staffing and slow implementation in some states.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, Alausa said public investment in education must deliver measurable outcomes.
“Every classroom will count. Every school will function. Every investment will deliver value,” he said.
Nigeria has one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, with millions of school-age children—particularly in rural and conflict-affected communities—still lacking access to quality education.
The minister directed the implementation committee to immediately engage with UBEC, state governments, contractors and other relevant stakeholders to fast-track the activation of the schools and expand access to basic education nationwide.
