•Minister of Education, Dr Morufu Olatunji Alausa
As part of ongoing reforms in the education sector, the federal government has announced the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in curriculum delivery, stressing that it is committed to delivering inclusive, future-ready education.
In the same vein, the Minister of Education, Dr Morufu Olatunji Alausa, announced Nigeria’s target of integrating 10 million out-of-school children by 2027 as offshoot of education reform initiatives of the federal government, reports Nigerian Tribune.
These initiatives include the Hope for Quality Basic Education programme (Hope-Ed), backed by the World Bank and Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) initiatives.
The minister spoke during the International Conference on Smart Education (ICSE) 2025, held at the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) Digital Resource Centre, Kano, Abuja.
The conference kicked off 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 Co-operation Agency (KOICA), brought together policymakers, development partners, school administrators, teachers, and digital education experts from across Nigeria and beyond.
In his address, Alausa underscored the alignment of ICSE 2025 with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, emphasising the centrality of human capital development.
Highlighting Nigeria’s youth population with 44 per cent under the age of 15, the minister called for an urgent re-engineering of the education system to convert this demographic strength into a digital dividend.
“We must equip our children with 21st-century skills to avoid a demographic disaster,” he stated.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Mr Kim Pankyu, in his remarks, 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 address, the UBEC’s 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 included; fostering knowledge-sharing, addressing challenges in tech-based education, promoting scholarship, and accelerating development, aligns deeply with UBEC’s mandate to ensure equitable, inclusive, and quality basic education for every Nigerian child.
She said: “In a world increasingly defined by technology, fulfilling this mandate demands that we rethink, education delivery, re-imagine learning environments, and embrace innovation to bridge learning gaps and unlock the potential of every learner.”
She emphasised 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.”
This, according to her, was targeted at 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 collaboration with Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and EdTech partners; and ensuring access to appropriate technologies, from smart devices and VR labs to offline kits and solar-powered solutions for remote schools.
In her keynote address, the vice chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University, Oko, Kwara State, the renowned computer scientist and digital education advocate, Professor Francisca Oladipo, commended UBEC and KOICA for hosting a “beautiful event that reflects Nigeria’s readiness for the future.”
She asserted 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 percent under 15, as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Despite the obstacles, Professor Oladipo expressed optimism about the prospects for smart education in Nigeria pointing 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.
The conference was attended by delegates from several African countries including: Benin, Cameroon, Conakry, Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, Togo, among others.
