The Federal Government has set aside N47.5 billion to refurbish 50 secondary schools across the country and provide them with cutting-edge teaching and learning infrastructure.
Dr Iyela Ajayi, Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), announced this while kicking off an infrastructural upgrading at Government Secondary School in Koton Karfe, Kogi State.
According to him, this was the first stage of the commission’s intervention approach.
We learned that under the project, educational facilities in recipient institutions will be modernized to create superior learning environments, providing schools with the resources they need to educate children for a successful future.
The NSSEC chief added that the intervention includes infrastructure, facility provision, and capacity building, and that each state in the federation will have at least one school touched in this first phase.
While underlining the project’s relevance in light of the dreadful conditions in some of the schools, Ajayi praised President Bola Tinubu for approving it, stating that an assessment of over 40,000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria revealed an urgent need for assistance.
He said: “We have decided to provide the funds for massive intervention in areas of infrastructural development, provision of facilities, and capacity building for senior secondary education”.
He added that the subsector of the Nigerian education system is not only crucial but vital, saying neglecting secondary education means neglecting the future of Nigerian children.
“This intervention, which upgrades infrastructure, will cover all states. We are intervening in 50 senior secondary schools, with at least one in each state. This is just the first phase. Upon completion, we will report to Mr President and our ministers on the progress.
“The first phase will cover approximately N47.5 billion for these 50 schools,” he added.
The executive secretary urged the contractor, FirstMan Industries, to ensure the project’s timely completion and highest quality delivery.
Head of Physical Planning at NSSEC, Maimuna Umar, provided a breakdown of the project, noting it would include a well-equipped laboratory building.
“One of the blocks would also feature an ICT centre and an e-library, and a 10KVA inverter system to run the computers and to address water needs, the commission will provide a borehole, and each classroom will accommodate a minimum of 46 students,” he stated.
Mr Yunusa Dauda, the school’s principal, stated that the school has struggled with insufficient facilities for more than 30 years before to this intervention.
“As a result, we have been petitioning and requesting government support. Today, we appreciate the NSSEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, and President Tinubu for recognizing that this school required considerable modifications and restorations.”
Earlier, Mr Emmanuel Akanonu, Managing Director of FirstMan Industries Limited, requested maximum collaboration and promised to produce a quality project.
