FG set to upgrade 50 public secondary schools with N47 billion

The Federal Government has earmarked N47.5 billion for the upgrade of 50 secondary schools across the country and equip them with state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities.

Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr Iyela Ajayi, who disclosed this while flagging off the infrastructure upgrade at Government Secondary School, Koton Karfe, Kogi State, said the event marked the first phase of the commission’s intervention strategy.

Ajayi, who disclosed that the intervention covers infrastructure, provision of facilities, and capacity building, said each state would have at least one school touched in the first phase of the scheme.

While emphasising the importance of the scheme in view of the deplorable conditions of some of the schools, Ajayi lauded President Bola Tinubu for approving the project, noting that an assessment of over 40,000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria showed an urgent need for intervention.

“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,” Ajayi stated. He added that the secondary education sub-sector is not only crucial, but vital, saying neglecting it would mean 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 President Tinubu on the progress made.”

Ajayi said the first phase of the project is estimated to cost N47.5 billion for 50 schools. He enjoined the contractor to ensure timely completion of the project and highest quality delivery.Head of Physical Planning at NSSEC, Maimuna Umar, provided a breakdown of the project, saying it would include a well-equipped laboratory building.

“One of the blocks would also feature an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, e-library, and a 10KVA inverter system to run the computers and address water needs, the commission will provide a borehole, and each classroom will accommodate a minimum of 46 students,” he stated. The principal, Mr Yunusa Dauda, said the school had struggled with poor facilities for over 30 years before the intervention.