From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Ministry of Education has announced the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in curriculum delivery as part of ongoing reforms in the education sector, stressing that the Ministry is committed to delivering inclusive, future-ready education.
In the same vein, the Ministry announced Nigeria’s target of integrating 10 million out-of-school children by 2027 as offshoot of education reform initiatives of the Federal Government’s which include the Hope for Quality Basic Education programme (Hope-Ed), backed by the World Bank and GPE, and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) initiatives.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement at the International Conference on Smart Education (ICSE) 2025 held at the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) Digital Resource Centre, Abuja.
The conference was attended by delegates from several African countries including Benin, Cameroun, Conakry, Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, Togo, among others.
It kicked started with a strong reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging digital technology for transforming basic education across the country.
The high-level event, convened by UBEC in collaboration with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), brought together policymakers, development partners, school administrators, teachers, and digital education experts from across Nigeria and beyond.
Minister of Education, Dr. Alausa underscored the alignment of ICSE 2025 with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, emphasizing the centrality of human capital development.
The minister called for an urgent re-engineering of the education system to convert Nigeria’s demographic strength into a digital dividend. “We must equip our children with 21st-century skills to avoid a demographic disaster,” he stated.
In his goodwill remark, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Mr. Kim Pankyu praised the strong collaboration between Korea and Nigeria in advancing smart education.
He commended UBEC’s Smart Schools Programme and reaffirmed KOICA’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation in basic education.
The Ambassador emphasised that Korea’s experience shows how digital education can be a driver of social inclusion and economic growth and expressed optimism about Nigeria’s potential to replicate similar success.
Earlier, in her welcome remarks, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, noted that the conference was a strong reminder that innovation in education was no longer optional as it was imperative for our progress, inclusion, and global competitiveness.
She stressed that the objectives of the conference which is to foster knowledge-sharing, addressing challenges in tech-based education, promoting scholarship, and accelerating development aligned deeply with UBEC’s mandate to ensure equitable, inclusive, and quality basic education for every Nigerian child.
“In a world increasingly defined by technology, fulfilling this mandate demands that we rethink education delivery, reimagine learning environments, and embrace innovation to bridge learning gaps and unlock the potential of every learner.”
She emphasized that the Commission had
moved beyond simply introducing technology into schools to building a systematic, sustainable model for integrating digital innovation into teaching and learning that focused on empowering teachers and education managers with the skills and pedagogical strategies to transform classrooms into interactive, learner-centred spaces; creating culturally relevant digital resources aligned with Nigeria’s national curriculum.
In her keynote address, Vice-Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University, Oko, Kwara State, Prof. Francisca Oladipo commended UBEC and KOICA for hosting the event that reflects Nigeria’s readiness for the future, strongly asserting that smart education is not a luxury but a necessity to unlock Nigeria’s potential.
“It requires all hands on deck from government to parents, teachers to tech innovators. Let this conference hold our leaders accountable and help us deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
She identified Nigeria’s demographic reality projected to surpass 400 million by 2050 with 40 per cent under 15 as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Despite the obstacles, Prof. Oladipo expressed optimism about the prospects for smart education in Nigeria pointing at expanding mobile access, growing EdTech innovation, and state-level initiatives in smart education in several states across the country such as Abia, Enugu, Jigawa and Niger as signals of progress.
She also highlighted federal programmes like UBEC’s Teacher Internship Scheme and the National Digital Learning Policy as strategic enablers.