21st July 2023

The Digital Resource Center, UBEC held a meeting with the official network service providers for the UBE Model Smart Schools in Nigeria. Galaxy Backbone is responsible for the procurement, supply and installation of all networking Equipment and Accessories in Seven (7) Model 1 Smart Schools in the Six (6) Geo-Political Zones and the FCT.

The National Coordinator, DRC, Prof. Bashir Galadanci presented the agenda for the meeting which was focused on the provision of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) power required at all school locations, 10KVA Direct Power Source (PHCN or Generator) for powering the mini data centre rack and the physical security of equipment to be installed at all sites. Furthermore, the need for UBEC representatives to receive the delivery of devices, conduct user acceptance tests with Galaxy engineers on site and sign off on the job completion certificate was greatly underscored.

On their part, Galaxy Backbone gave a project progress report stating that the installation and testing of network equipment were completed in the smart school site in Daura. The sites in Bauchi, Karshi and Lafia have also completed installations but are awaiting testing. However, Lagos, Edo and Owerri do not have provision for conduit wiring thus the delay of LAN installation at these sites. All active devices are presently available at the Galaxy Backbone warehouse in Abuja ready to be delivered to UBEC.

28th July-19th August 2023

As part of the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Nigeria through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the government of South Korea through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the training of basic education teachers in the subject areas of Mathematics and Science is a crucial component towards the improvement of access to quality smart education in Nigeria. In light of this, KOICA organized an invitational training programme in Korea for its six supported States consisting of Anambra, Bauchi, Ekiti, Cross River, Kano and Nasarawa States.

The invitational training was designed to develop the capacities and skills of the guiding teachers in the aspect of digital literacy and the creation of digital content in the subject areas of Mathematics and Science. The training also aimed to familiarize the trainees with the utilization of digital devices and the use of advanced applications in classroom lesson delivery. Additionally, the guiding teachers were groomed to take on their roles as master trainers who are expected to serve as pathfinders to other Nigerian teachers by subsequently cascading the training received effectively.

The training sessions successfully enhanced the digital literacy, content creation, and device utilization skills of the guiding teachers especially in Mathematics and Science. Moreover, it has equipped them with the necessary expertise to train and mentor other teachers in effective smart education practices across Nigeria.

The training programme projected fresh perspectives on issues like pedagogy practice, fundamental requirements for the development of robust educational content and the training needs of smart schoolteachers. It also further highlighted the best practices that can be adopted by Nigeria for a progressive and sustainable smart education system.

11th August 2023

The meeting with SUBEB directors overseeing smart schools had 17 directors of Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Niger, Adamawa, Sokoto, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Benue, Cross River, Anambra States and the FCT, in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to delineate the responsibilities of UBEC and SUBEBs before the take-off of the Smart Schools. The meeting also aimed to ascertain the availability of ICT components of Smart Schools, the admission process and to obtain reports from the SUBEBs on their readiness for the September 2023 academic session.

To this end, the meeting was informed that the smart schools have been handed over to the state and SUBEB will be in charge. However, UBEC will continue to participate in the running of the schools including funding, broadband cost, maintenance of ICT gadgets, training and retraining of the smart school personnel. The SUBEBs will be responsible for the recruitment and employment of staff based on standards set by UBEC. Maintenance of infrastructure, facilities, recurrent cost, salary scheme, security and feeding of learners will also be the responsibility of the SUBEBs.

At the end of the meeting, the directors of SUBEB smart schools gave their reports on their state’s readiness for the upcoming 2023/2024 academic session. Out of the represented States, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Cross River, Ekiti, Sokoto, Gombe, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Kwara, Oyo, and the FCT all confirmed their readiness to begin. However, Benue State was the only state that expressed a lack of preparedness to commence operations in the Smart School.