By Jumoke Olaitan
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a future-ready and globally competitive education system with the inauguration of the Katsina State Smart Model Secondary School in Radda, Katsina State.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the project on Tuesday alongside the Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Radda.
Alausa disclosed this in a statement by Mr Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser to the mimister on Media and Communications, in Abuja.
The minister described the project as a bold milestone, noting that the Smart School represented more than physical infrastructure but a symbol of innovation, opportunity and strategic investment in human capital.
This, he said was aimed at preparing Nigerian students for a technology-driven global economy.
He commended the governor’s leadership under the Build-Your-Future Blueprint, saying Katsina’s progress in expanding access to education, improving infrastructure and strengthening teacher development demonstrated commitment to sustainable development through education.
The minister said the initiative aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and formed part of broader reforms under the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
According to him, the initiative focuses on expanding access to education, strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEMM) as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
He added that the initiative would also improve infrastructure, promote inclusive education and advance digital governance.
Alausa disclosed that over N106 billion in Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grants had been accessed by states in the last 18 months.
He said that investments exceeding N22 billion had been committed to teacher development, while N2.035 billion was disbursed to School-Based Management Committees nationwide.
The minister further said more than 10,000 classrooms had been renovated, 978,000 teachers trained and over 7.8 million textbooks distributed across the country.
He announced that the revised Primary Education Curriculum was already being implemented nationwide, while the new Secondary Education Curriculum would commence in the next academic session.
Alausa also revealed that funding had been secured for the HOPE Education Programme to deepen access, improve quality and strengthen institutional capacity.
On skills development, he said more than 160,000 youths were currently undergoing training across over 1,200 TVET centres nationwide, with more than one million applications recorded in the latest phase.
He highlighted ongoing digital reforms, including the rollout of a cloud-based Annual School Census and the introduction of the Learner Identification Number (LIN) to enhance data-driven planning, transparency and accountability.
The minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to inclusive education, noting that efforts were being intensified in collaboration with states to address the challenge of out-of-school children.
He said the Katsina Smart Model Secondary School would serve as a national model for smart education and a catalyst for transformative change in the education sector.
In his remarks, Gov. Radda said that his administration had built the smart model secondary school based on its belief that governments must prioritise education as their foremost responsibility to citizens.
He added that the state government would continue to ensure that every zone in Katsina had access to quality education.
The governor noted that since assuming office, his administration had implemented far-reaching reforms aimed at transforming the education sector in the state. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
