ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Enugu State Government has expressed optimism that its ‘leave no child behind policy’ will serve as a game-changer in education, preparing every child in the state for 21st-century academic and technological advancement.
The government has already completed and begun running some of the 260 smart schools across the state’s political wards, while others still under construction are expected to be ready within a few months.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this on Sunday in Enugu during the 2025 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week Celebration and the launch of the book SDGs Integration Manual for Basic Education.
Onyia explained that the ‘leave no child behind policy’ in the Smart Schools initiative for the nine-year basic education programme would ensure quality, equal, and accessible 21st-century education for children in both urban and rural areas.
He said, “With the policy and concepts, learning will become experiential for the children in all the smart schools as we have integrated technology in it; and modern curriculum and content.
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“Learning will go with new result-oriented initiatives, be hands-on and fun for the children, which will open their innate desire to learn and internalise; and not just to memorise and pass exams alone.
“The smart schools, scattered in all wards in the state, will ensure that each child gets the same tech-innovative educational gadgets and quality teachers fully trained on modern and tech-innovative gadgets.
“His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, is intentional and already moved ahead in using education to prepare our children, notwithstanding remoteness of their schools, to compete with their counterparts internationally.”
Onyia noted that teachers had, for some months, been trained and retooled on the smart school curriculum, concept, and new educational gadgets to be used in classrooms.
“His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, plans to take it higher through a teachers’ training institute (the proposed new state’s University of Education and Technology) and all teachers migrate to tech-innovative teaching methods.
“Each child will be given equal opportunity, equal access and equal quality tech-innovative teachers; while the basic module for assessment and test tool for all children within the state will be the same,” he added.
He also commended the authors of the book, which carried a foreword written by governor Mbah, saying: “This book provides an excellent manual for teachers to inculcate knowledge and benefits of the SDGs on our children.”
Speaking further, the Special Assistant to the governor on Transport, Mrs Ify Ugonabo, revealed that the government had captured the biometrics of all commercial vehicles, including tricycles, with over 30,000 vehicles already registered.
Ugonabo said that the exercise had strengthened the state’s security architecture by making it easier to track any commercial vehicle engaged in unlawful activity.
“Enugu has the best transport system with new five modern terminals, over 80 road shelters and 100 CNG buses for seamless and affordable transportation as part of meeting the SDG Goals,” she said.
Earlier, the Focal Person for SDGs in the state, Engr. Onyinye Akubuilo-Okpalanma, who co-authored the book with her mother, Prof. Dorothy Akubuilo, said Enugu State had made significant progress in advancing the SDGs.
Akubuilo-Okpalanma stated, “Enugu State has advanced in education, which is goal four; healthcare, goal three; in agriculture, in adequate security, in tech-innovation as well as providing employment and decent work for the youths.
“His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, has robustly improved all sectors of the state through well-planned and intentional policies and programmes that involve all sectors, council areas and political wards at the same time.”