The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has given the assurance that teachers to be deployed to the smart schools that are currently being constructed will receive intensive training similar to that being offered to their counterparts in Korea.
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.
In a press statement by the head of public relations, David Apeh, 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
He expressed satisfaction at how soon the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between KOICA and UBEC in October 2021 was already beginning to bear very positive fruits in the smart schools project in the areas of infrastructural development, training of teachers and content development.
Speaking at the occasion, the Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Mr. Son Sungil, stated that the 6-member team was mainly made up of school teachers and capacity development experts and had been in Nigeria since August 3rd 2022.
The Team Leader, Prof. Youngwoo Park, thanked the Executive Secretary for the warm reception and collaboration they had received from the Commission during their stay noting that the meetings and interactions they had with key stakeholders were extremely beneficial to both parties.
Also speaking during the occasion, the National Coordinator of the Smart Schools Programme, Prof. Bashir Galadanci stated that during their stay, the Korean team of experts had shared their experiences on operating smart schools, participated in a workshop on the finalization of training materials for teachers and education managers, and attended a meeting with SUBEB directors overseeing smart schools in their states.
He explained that UBEC had benefited tremendously from their expertise and wealth of experience.
Some of the 37 smart schools being constructed by UBEC in 36 states of the Federation (and FCT) are scheduled to commence operations during the next academic session.
