The Federal Government has announced plans to discontinue the use of chalkboards in schools across the country by 2027 and replace them with smart boards. The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja during a ministerial roundtable meeting, noting that the initiative is part of efforts to bridge the digital divide in the education sector.
Alausa also stated that starting from 2026, the annual school census will be fully digitalised. He added that over 60,000 tablets have already been distributed to students in Adamawa, Oyo, and Katsina under the Airtech and BESDA programmes, with another 30,000 devices expected.
He explained that smart boards will support interactive teaching and enhance students’ engagement by allowing the use of digital textbooks and multimedia content.
The minister raised concern over high dropout rates in schools, revealing that data from the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) shows a major decline in student numbers from primary to senior secondary levels. According to him, out of about 30 million pupils recorded across 21 states, only six million continue to senior secondary school.
He said the digitised system will help track student progression and support targeted interventions. The Ministry also plans to integrate WAEC and JAMB data into the platform.
Alausa acknowledged UNICEF for providing technical assistance and thanked President Bola Tinubu for supporting the initiative. The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, stated that the commission has fully adopted technology in its operations and is working to digitalise teaching and learning in public schools.
