The Federal Government has intensified efforts to address Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge by setting in motion plans to operationalise completed but inactive Smart, Bilingual and Alternative Schools nationwide, inaugurating a ministerial implementation and monitoring committee to ensure the facilities begin receiving learners.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the committee in Abuja on Tuesday, stating that the initiative is designed to ensure schools built under the Universal Basic Education Commission are put to use, especially for children who remain outside the formal education system.
The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to broaden access to quality basic education and improve learning outcomes by converting infrastructure investments into effective teaching and learning.
Alausa said the government would no longer accept situations where completed educational projects remain unused or fail to fulfil their intended purpose.
“Infrastructure alone does not educate a child. A completed building without pupils is simply an empty structure. A furnished classroom without teachers remains an idle investment,” the minister said.
He noted that despite UBEC’s significant investments in Smart, Bilingual and Alternative Schools aimed at widening access to education, implementation challenges have hindered many of the projects from delivering their expected impact.
According to him, the newly constituted committee will supervise the process of turning completed facilities into fully operational schools through the completion of outstanding work, formal handover, staffing, enrolment and regular monitoring.
“Every day a completed school remains locked represents lost opportunities for thousands of Nigerian children,” Alausa said.
He stressed that the committee’s performance would be judged by the number of schools actively educating children rather than the reports it generates.
“Success will not be measured by the number of reports submitted, but by how many schools are actually teaching Nigerian children.”
Under the programme, the committee will work with state governments, State Universal Basic Education Boards and other stakeholders to provide schools with furniture, instructional materials and essential services such as electricity, water and internet access, while also facilitating teacher deployment and student enrolment.
UBEC introduced the Smart Schools initiative to modernise basic education through technology-driven learning. The facilities feature digital classrooms, internet connectivity, interactive learning tools and resources intended to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education as well as digital literacy.
The commission also established Bilingual Schools to support multilingual education and strengthen national integration, while Alternative Schools were designed to offer flexible learning opportunities for out-of-school children, girls, street-connected children and other vulnerable groups excluded from conventional education.
However, several of these facilities have remained underused due to delayed handovers, inadequate staffing and slow implementation in some states.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, the minister insisted that public investment in education must yield tangible outcomes.
“Every classroom will count. Every school will function. Every investment will deliver value,” he said.
Nigeria continues to have one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, with millions of learners, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas, still unable to access formal education. Experts have repeatedly emphasised that beyond constructing schools, ensuring that facilities are functional, well-staffed and accessible is key to addressing the crisis.
The Federal Government believes that activating Smart, Bilingual and Alternative Schools will create more educational opportunities for vulnerable children, improve access to quality basic education and strengthen accountability for public spending in the sector.
Alausa directed the committee to immediately begin engagements with UBEC, state governments, contractors and other stakeholders to fast-track the operationalisation of schools nationwide.