The Federal Government has inaugurated the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee to accelerate the completion and operationalisation of smart, bilingual and alternative schools across the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, while inaugurating the committee in Abuja on Tuesday, said the move was to ensure that government investments in basic education translated into meaningful learning opportunities for Nigerian children.
Alausa said the initiative aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which recognised education as the foundation for economic growth, national cohesion and global competitiveness.
He said the committee was established to ensure that completed school projects did not remain idle but became fully functional institutions serving their intended purpose.
“Our responsibility extends beyond building classrooms.Our responsibility is to ensure that every educational investment made by government translates into meaningful learning opportunities for Nigerian children.
The minister said UBEC had invested substantial resources in Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools to expand access to quality education, digital learning and educational opportunities for vulnerable children.
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According to him, recent implementation reports showed that while many projects had reached advanced stages of construction, a significant number remained unfinished, while several completed schools had yet to be handed over to state governments or opened for learning.
“Every day a completed school remains locked represents lost opportunities for thousands of Nigerian children.
“Every abandoned project represents resources that are not yielding their intended educational value,” he said.
Alausa charged the committee to ensure the completion of outstanding projects, provision of furniture and equipment, installation of utilities, deployment of teachers and prompt enrolment of learners.
“The success of this committee will not be measured by the number of meetings held or inspection reports produced.
“It will be measured by one fundamental question: How many schools have become operational and are educating Nigerian children?” he said.
He added that the era of projects being declared completed on paper while remaining inaccessible to beneficiaries must come to an end.
The minister assured Nigerians that under the present administration, no education infrastructure funded with public resources would remain abandoned, idle or underutilised.
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Earlier, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, said the projects represented some of the federal government’s most significant investments in basic education.
Garba said 37 Smart Schools had been established nationwide, with 24 already conducting academic activities, while the remaining schools were at various stages of completion, furnishing and operational readiness.
She added that under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, 30 schools had been established in nine participating states.
According to her, three bilingual boarding schools have been completed and commissioned, while four others have reached substantial completion and are being prepared for commissioning.
Garba said the committee would strengthen implementation oversight, improve coordination among stakeholders and accelerate the completion and operationalisation of the projects.
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She assured the committee of UBEC’s full cooperation and urged members to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism, objectivity and commitment to ensuring that every school became a functional centre of excellence for Nigerian children.
On his part, the chairman of the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, assured the minister that the committee would carry out its assignment with integrity, professionalism and focus.
Aderinoye said the committee was established not only to monitor projects but also to ensure that Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools became fully operational and sustainable.
