Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has called on financially capable alumni and other education stakeholders to partner with the government in addressing infrastructure challenges facing public schools across the state.

The governor said collaboration between government, old students’ associations and other stakeholders was necessary to improve educational standards and provide students with a conducive learning environment.

Aiyedatiwa made the appeal on Saturday in Akure, the state capital, during the 50th anniversary celebration of Omoluorogbo Grammar School.

He was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sunday Olajide.

The governor noted that government alone could not shoulder the financial responsibility of developing the education sector, urging former students to contribute meaningfully to the growth of their alma mater.

Public schools across Nigeria continue to face challenges, including deteriorating classroom buildings, inadequate learning facilities and insufficient funding.

Against this backdrop, alumni associations have increasingly complemented government efforts by renovating school infrastructure, providing educational materials, supplying equipment and offering financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has challenged provosts of colleges of education across Nigeria to deliver measurable results through the effective implementation of the dual mandate policy, improved institutional accountability and quality teacher preparation.

Alausa said the policy presented an opportunity to reposition colleges of education, strengthen teacher training and expand pathways for academic and professional advancement.

He stressed, however, that achieving the objectives of the reform required strategic leadership, institutional accountability, collaboration among stakeholders and a shared commitment to excellence.

The minister, represented by the Director of Colleges of Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Cecilia Uba, spoke in a goodwill message at the National Commission for Colleges of Education Teacher Education Leadership and Impact Award ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.

The ceremony, held at the Wells Carlton Hotel, Asokoro, was organised in partnership with Gosima Group as part of activities marking the NCCE’s national retreat and workshop on the effective implementation of the dual mandate and strategic plan for colleges of education.

According to Alausa, the effective implementation of the policy would help strengthen teacher education and create more opportunities for students to advance academically and professionally.

He reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to working with the NCCE, college provosts and other stakeholders to implement policies aimed at improving the quality, relevance and global competitiveness of teacher education in Nigeria.

The minister commended the commission for organising the awards, describing the initiative as an opportunity to recognise educational leaders whose dedication and professional excellence had contributed to improving educational outcomes.

He urged the award recipients to regard the recognition not merely as a reward for past achievements but as a renewed call to greater responsibility, innovation and service to the country.

The dual-mandate policy allows eligible colleges of education to offer both the Nigeria Certificate in Education and approved bachelor’s degree programmes in education, widening opportunities for teacher training and academic progression.

Its implementation has increased the emphasis on institutional capacity, quality assurance, adequate facilities and the ability of colleges to produce teachers equipped to meet changing classroom demands.

NCCE Charges Provosts on Institutional Performance
The Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Dr Angela Ajala, said provosts of colleges of education had a central role to play in national development, urging them to improve institutional performance, embrace innovation and ensure measurable improvements in student learning.

In her welcome address, Ajala said the quality of the education system depended significantly on the quality of teachers, while teachers’ competence was shaped by the institutions responsible for their preparation.

“Our Provosts are not merely administrators; you are builders of institutions, developers of human capacity and custodians of the future of our children,” she said.

She challenged the institutions to strengthen teacher preparation, expand academic opportunities, promote research and embrace digital innovation.

Ajala said colleges of education must become institutions that attract students, inspire confidence among parents, earn the respect of employers and establish themselves as valuable partners in national development.

She added that every college should pursue academic excellence, financial sustainability and innovation while strengthening its contribution to student learning.

The NCCE executive secretary congratulated the award recipients and urged them to use the recognition as motivation to achieve greater results.

She also reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to quality assurance and institutional development.

Anyim Describes Teacher Education as National Security Priority
In his address, the chairman of the occasion and former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, described teacher education as a matter of national security, warning that neglecting teachers could undermine Nigeria’s long-term development.

Anyim said education policies could only succeed when teachers were adequately prepared and equipped to implement them in classrooms.

“Educational policies are written in the office, but they succeed or fail in the classroom.

Educational reform is only as strong as the teacher who must carry it to the child,” he said.

He described teachers as the foundation of human capital development, comparing their importance to the role of roads and power plants in supporting economic growth.

According to him, the consequences of neglecting teachers may not become immediately apparent in government budgets but could affect generations to come.

The former Senate president called for modern facilities, sustainable funding and improved professional development opportunities for colleges of education.

He also stressed the need to equip teachers with the skills required to respond to the demands of the digital age.

Anyim urged private-sector organisations to invest more in education and called on the media to give greater attention to the contributions of teachers to national development.

He commended the NCCE for its regulatory role in maintaining standards across colleges of education, noting that credible regulation was necessary to preserve public confidence in the institutions and their qualifications.

Gosima Group Plans Scholarships for Education Students
Meanwhile, the President and Group Managing Director of Gosima Group, Dr Gideon Chidiebere Osi, announced plans to expand scholarship opportunities for deserving students in colleges of education through the company’s charitable arm, the Gideon and Joy Life and Leadership Foundation.

Osi said the partnership with the NCCE was designed to strengthen educational leadership and improve teacher education through stakeholder engagement and institutional support.

He explained that although Gosima Group was involved in constructing buildings, roads, water projects, science laboratories, libraries, sports facilities and technology hubs, the company had come to appreciate the critical role teachers played in developing human capacity.

According to him, teachers’ influence often determines the success of professionals across different fields, making investment in teacher education essential to national development.

“For Gosima Group, supporting this initiative is not charity. It is responsibility. No enterprise can prosper for long in a nation that neglects education,” he said.

Osi said the company intended to complement government efforts through scholarships, mentorship and youth leadership development.

He added that strengthening colleges of education would ultimately improve teaching and learning in classrooms across the country.

The Gosima Group chief commended the NCCE management for establishing the partnership and urged the award recipients to maintain high standards and inspire future generations of educators.

The ceremony brought together education administrators, government representatives and private-sector stakeholders to recognise outstanding contributions to teacher education and promote collaboration towards improving the quality of teaching in Nigeria.

The stakeholders emphasised that the success of the dual-mandate policy would depend on effective leadership, adequate institutional support, sustained investment and the ability of colleges of education to produce competent teachers capable of meeting the country’s evolving educational needs.

Secondary schoolgirls from 16 government schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have developed more than 700 artificial intelligence-powered projects designed to address challenges in healthcare, education, digital safety, civic engagement and climate resilience.

The projects were showcased at the AI for Her Showcase 2026, organised by AfroTechxcel at Model Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday.

The event also featured the presentation of a policy memorandum to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the FCT Secondary Education Board, proposing an inclusive and child-safe framework for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into Nigerian schools.

Speaking at the event, AfroTechxcel’s Founder and Executive Director, Emerald Akhaumere, disclosed that more than 772 girls had participated in the programme, completing thousands of learning activities and developing over 700 projects.

According to her, the participants completed 8,301 learning activities, made 1,138 quiz attempts and recorded an average performance of 73 per cent, exceeding the programme’s minimum progression requirement of 70 per cent.

She added that the projects received more than 4,980 rounds of feedback from human mentors, helping the learners refine their ideas and improve their proposed solutions.

Akhaumere said the initiative was designed to equip girls with technical and leadership skills while encouraging them to develop practical responses to challenges affecting their communities.

Reflecting on her connection to Model Secondary School, Maitama, where she was once a student, she said her experiences had influenced her commitment to expanding opportunities for young girls.

“This is my school. I sat in this compound, wore this uniform, and walked these corridors without knowing what I would become,” she said.

She explained that the International Award for Young People introduced her to the human side of leadership, while her early exposure to technology helped shape her professional journey.

“Human skills and technical skills. In the same school, at the same time. Everything I have built since has been an attempt to give other girls both,” she added.

Projects address healthcare, digital safety
Akhaumere said the programme was deliberately designed to move beyond generic technology curricula developed for different social and economic environments, stressing that digital education must reflect the realities of Nigerian learners.

She argued that young people should be trained to identify and solve problems within their immediate environments rather than simply reproduce solutions developed elsewhere.

“Too often, we take curricula designed elsewhere, for children living in entirely different circumstances, and place them in Nigerian classrooms as though context is a detail. It is not a detail. It is fundamental.

“A girl in Mpape needs the tools to understand and solve the problems around her, not simply the problems somebody else has chosen for her,” she said.

According to her, more than one-third of the projects focused on digital innovation, including artificial intelligence classifiers, WhatsApp community bots and school registries.

Nearly 30 per cent addressed healthcare challenges, including menstrual and maternal health, while almost one-fifth focused on safety, consent and digital rights.

Other projects explored climate-related challenges through solutions such as flood alerts and agricultural tracking tools.

Akhaumere said the projects demonstrated that the participants were moving beyond classroom assignments to develop innovations with potential real-world applications.

She explained that the showcase represented a transition from introductory AI training to project development, testing and plans for adoption by potential users.

“Last time, in March, we were introducing the girls to AI at the root phase. Now they have undergone that, and they are presenting their projects in full,” she said.

She added that the participants had developed financial projections and user-adoption plans, while their solutions had also undergone user testing.

According to her, the projects were aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, enabling the girls to connect social challenges with opportunities for investment, partnerships and sustainable impact.

AfroTechxcel plans learning hubs, job opportunities
The AfroTechxcel founder urged the government and other stakeholders to prioritise digital skills education that responds to learners’ actual needs instead of relying exclusively on generic curricula.

“Digital skills are important, but they must meet the girls where they are, not where we think they are, to create impact,” she said.

She disclosed that the organisation was developing learning hubs to expand access to practical digital education, beginning with a facility in Lugbe, with Mpape expected to follow.

Akhaumere also said AfroTechxcel was working with partners to create internship and practical work opportunities for girls and women who complete its programmes.

She emphasised that digital education should lead to meaningful economic opportunities rather than end with the award of certificates.
“A certificate alone does not change someone’s income,” she said.

She explained that the organisation was developing pathways to help participants pursue entrepreneurship, freelancing, education and advocacy.

On the policy memorandum submitted to NITDA and the FCT Secondary Education Board, Akhaumere said the proposal was intended to support the responsible integration of AI into schools through teacher training, affordable access, improved learning outcomes and child protection.

She stressed that teachers must be equipped to use AI to strengthen classroom instruction without allowing the technology to replace their professional judgement.

“Teachers must be equipped to use AI to strengthen their teaching, not have their professional judgement replaced by a tool,” she said.

Akhaumere added that students should be able to demonstrate their understanding independently of AI tools, while teachers should be adequately prepared to guide learners in their responsible use.

“We are not handing over a complaint. We are presenting a tested model, our own evidence, and a costed proposal to demonstrate what is possible in schools that already exist,” she said.

She expressed optimism that collaboration with government agencies, civil society organisations and development partners would help expand the programme to more schools and enable more Nigerian girls to participate in the digital economy.

NITDA backs locally developed AI solutions
Also speaking at the event, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, represented by the agency’s Director of IT Infrastructure and Solutions, Oladejo Olawumi, commended AfroTechxcel for promoting early technology education and encouraging young people to develop solutions to local challenges.

Olawumi said the participants should be recognised as active contributors to Nigeria’s digital transformation rather than passive recipients of technologies developed elsewhere.

“You are not here as spectators to a conversation about the future of Nigeria’s digital economy. You are in the conversation. You are part of the answer,” he said.

He particularly praised the girls who developed offline solutions to address connectivity challenges in public schools, describing the innovations as examples of technology adapted to local conditions.

“This is not a lesser kind of technology. That is the right kind. A solution designed for a Nigerian community by someone who lives in it will always understand the problem better than one adapted from somewhere else,” he said.

Olawumi also highlighted the initiative’s use of verifiable learning records, describing evidence-based approaches as important to improving digital education.

He noted that Nigeria had set national digital literacy targets of 70 per cent by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030.

According to him, collaboration between NITDA’s digital literacy programmes and AfroTechxcel’s school-based approach could help accelerate the expansion of digital skills across the country.

The NITDA representative encouraged the participants to explore opportunities under the agency’s innovation support programmes, including the iHatch incubation programme and provisions of the Nigeria Startup Act.

However, he reminded the young innovators that developing technology also required responsibility, particularly in protecting users’ information and ensuring safe digital experiences.

“Building technology carries responsibility. Whatever you create will touch other people, their data, their trust, sometimes their safety,” he said.

He added that standards, safeguarding and data protection must remain central to technology development, regardless of whether the innovators are students or established companies.

The showcase underscored the potential of school-based technology education to empower young Nigerians to address community challenges while preparing for opportunities in the country’s growing digital economy.