The Federal Government has announced a plan to eliminate the use of chalkboards in Nigerian schools by 2027, to modernize education across the country.
Speaking at a ministerial roundtable in Abuja, Minister of Education Dr. Olatunji Alausa stressed that the project aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goal to close the digital divide in education. The government said it has already stated the introduction of technology-driven tools to classrooms nationwide.
We launched a smart board just two weeks ago. Our aim is to have every school equipped with smart boards by 2027. This will provide access to high-quality education for every child, no matter their location or background – Dr. Alausa
Replacing traditional chalkboards with smart boards will make classrooms more interactive, allowing teachers to use multimedia, digital textbooks, and real-time learning tools to better engage students.
So far, over 60,000 tablets have been distributed in Adamawa, Oyo, and Katsina states through the Airtech and BESDA programs, with 30,000 more expected soon. The government also plans to fully digitalize the annual school census starting in 2026 to monitor data and outcomes in real time.
Dr. Alausa sounded the alarm on the rising school dropout rates in the country, revealing the data from the digitized Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
Out of 30 million children in primary schools, between 10 and 20 million drop out before reaching Junior Secondary School, and about 4 million more disappear before Senior Secondary. This trend threatens our nation’s human capital – Dr Alausa
To address this, the ministry has started uploading biometric data of pupils into a digital platform to improve tracking and policymaking. Plans are in place to integrate exam data from WAEC and JAMB into the system, thereby putting an end to manual paperwork.
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