The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has disclosed that it has renovated 287 schools and more than 4,000 classrooms across Nigeria as part of a new approach aimed at transforming schools into complete and functional learning environments.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, made this known in Abuja while commissioning renovated facilities at Nyanya-Hausawa Basic and Secondary School.

Garba said the commission was moving away from interventions that focus solely on constructing or renovating individual classrooms, towards a “whole-school” approach that addresses the wider needs of learners and teachers.

Under the new approach, she said UBEC interventions would cover classrooms, toilets, water supply, electricity, administrative facilities, security infrastructure and learning resources.

She explained that the objective was to ensure that schools receiving government intervention have the essential facilities required to provide a conducive environment for teaching and learning.

The UBEC boss said the initiative was in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the directive that Nigerian children should have access to quality basic education in safe and conducive learning environments.

As part of the new standards, Garba said UBEC now requires new school projects to include facilities such as perimeter fencing, security infrastructure, solar power, boreholes, adequate toilets and classrooms, administrative blocks and playgrounds.

She added that the commission was also integrating ICT laboratories and smart boards into school projects to expose pupils to digital learning and prepare them for the demands of the 21st-century economy.

Beyond physical infrastructure, UBEC has also expanded its digital learning programme, with 74 digital learning centres commissioned at Model Girls’ Junior Secondary School, AMAC Estate.

According to Garba, more than 2,000 digital learning centres have now been established under the current administration.

She said the centres are equipped with computers, smartboards, solar power systems, printers, scanners, internet connectivity and security features, while providing both online and offline learning content for teachers and pupils.

Teachers are also being trained to effectively utilise the equipment and digital learning resources, she added.

At Nyanya-Hausawa School, which accommodates early childhood, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary sections, UBEC intervened after an assessment found the facilities in a dilapidated condition.

The project covered three blocks containing about 30 classrooms and 48 toilets, alongside solar-powered boreholes to provide water for the sanitation facilities.

Garba said additional work, including the construction of an administrative block, would still be undertaken at the school.

Earlier, UBEC Director of Physical Planning, Ibrahim Nura, said the commission conducted a condition assessment of the school before commencing the project.

He said the assessment enabled UBEC to identify the specific needs of the school and tailor the intervention accordingly.

The Principal of the school, Gideon Isah, commended UBEC for the renovation, provision of furniture and installation of the solar-powered water system.

Isah recalled that some pupils previously had to sit on bare floors, saying the improvements had boosted the morale of both teachers and students.

He, however, appealed for the construction of an administrative block, noting that the different sections of the school currently operate without one.

The principal also disclosed that the community, in partnership with the Parent-Teacher Association, had engaged three security personnel to safeguard the newly renovated facilities against vandalism.

He pledged that the school community would continue to maintain the facilities and protect the investments made in the school.