Federal Government Moves to Revitalize Inactive ‘Smart Schools’ to Tackle Out-of-School Crisis

The Federal Government has initiated a new strategy to address Nigeria’s high number of out-of-school children by activating several completed but long-dormant Smart, Bilingual, and Alternative Schools across the country.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, inaugurated a specialized ministerial implementation and monitoring committee in Abuja on Tuesday, tasking the team with ensuring that these facilities are immediately opened for student enrollment. The move marks a significant pivot from merely constructing educational infrastructure to ensuring that completed projects are fully operational and serving the students they were designed to accommodate.

During the inauguration, Dr. Alausa emphasized that the administration would no longer tolerate completed school buildings remaining locked while millions of children lack access to basic education. He noted that while the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has made substantial investments in modernizing basic education through technology-enabled classrooms and alternative learning pathways, implementation gaps have left many of these facilities idle.

The minister stressed that infrastructure alone is insufficient to drive educational progress. He stated that the success of this new committee will not be judged by the reports they submit, but by the tangible increase in the number of children receiving classroom instruction.

Under the new mandate, the committee is expected to work closely with state governments, State Universal Basic Education Boards, and various stakeholders to resolve outstanding issues. This includes finishing incomplete construction, providing essential furniture and learning materials, ensuring access to utilities like electricity and internet connectivity, and facilitating the deployment of teachers.

The Smart Schools initiative, originally introduced by UBEC, aims to modernize basic education by integrating digital classrooms and interactive tools to boost digital literacy and science-based learning.

The program also includes Bilingual Schools, designed to foster national integration through multilingual instruction, and Alternative Schools, which provide flexible education pathways for girls, street-connected youth, and children in vulnerable or conflict-affected communities.

Despite the initial investment in these projects, many have remained underutilized due to delayed handovers, staffing shortages, and operational bottlenecks. The government’s renewed push aims to bridge these gaps, ensuring that public spending on education translates into measurable learning outcomes. The committee has been directed to begin immediate engagement with contractors and state authorities to fast-track the activation of these schools nationwide.