Education renaissance in Enugu: How Mbah’s Smart Schools are changing landscapes, creating jobs in rural communities

Education in Enugu State is undergoing what is, clearly, a renaissance buoyed by the new Smart Green Schools initiative of the Peter Mbah administration, which cuts across both urban and rural communities.

The initiative is a revolution of sorts in the state’s education sector, transitioning teaching and learning from the traditional to a more contemporary and technology-driven system of education. It is not only visionary and transformative, but also indicative of a government’s capacity to think beyond today.

This initiative is also anchored on the state’s slogan–Tomorrow is Here—which implies, among other things, that the future of the state and its people is no longer far, or that the various strides of the state government are a testament or the substance of things hoped for.

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Most appropriately, ‘Tomorrow is Here,’ is not just a catchphrase, but a covenant with the future; it is the recognition that the sovereignty of the state, Nigeria, and indeed Africa, will be determined by the strength of the young people – their ability to think critically, innovate, and act with integrity.

On the strength of the above, the initiative periscopes the future of both the boy and girl child in a fast-paced digitized world, where education is shifting away from memorization. It comes with ‘unintended consequences’ that are adding more value and making more sense to the original intention.

Though the implementation of the initiative is not uniform, as the urban areas are ahead of the rural areas in terms of take-off time, its social and economic impact is neither lost nor denied in both areas.

Creating the needed infrastructural facilities for this initiative has turned many rural communities in the state into huge construction sites. Visiting some of these sites a few days ago was an exciting moment for this reporter.

It is really exciting how the construction of classroom blocks and sundry buildings is changing rural landscapes and creating jobs for the locals, who work at the project sites as bricklayers, carpenters, iron fitters, and labourers, assisting skilled workers to mix cement or carry blocks.

Unlike the urban areas where some of these facilities have been provided and schools have taken off, buildings at the project sites visited, including Umuogbo, Umuida and Ikpamodo, all in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of the state, are at various stages of completion.

At Umuogbo Ekposhi where the school is located adjacent to Model Comprehensive College, Ekposhi, one of the workers, ostensibly an engineer, told this reporter that the workers cumulatively earn substantial income, explaining that daily pay for the workers ranges from N4,000 to N10,000, depending on the level or type of skills.

“All of us who work here are happy with the government on this initiative, not just because of the income we earn, but also for the hope and promise of a better tomorrow that it holds for our children. Again, the buildings are changing this environment. By the time they are completed according to specifications, this place will be a beauty to behold,” the worker, who did not disclose his name, said.

At the time of the visit, over 15 construction workers were on ground, and it was learned that some of them were absent from work that particular day for various reasons, including bereavement.

At Umuida, where the school is also located near the Community Secondary School, it was observed that many of the buildings were at roofing level, which is different from the situation at Ikpamodo, where majority of the buildings were at lintel levels.

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Both sites were also brimming with workers who worked excitedly, not only because of the income they earned, but also because of the prospects and opportunities such an initiative brings to a community and its people.

“Many of our people are going to work here as teachers; some will work as security men, cleaners, office assistants, and even food vendors will be allowed to sell and make money here,” Ifeanyi Idoko, a retired school teacher, said, adding, “truly, we can see tomorrow today.”

The ongoing construction and the structures typify the vision of the Mbah administration, which involves shifting from old school structures and learning by memorisation to world-class infrastructure and experiential learning. Each school building is designed as a complete ecosystem for learning, meaning that a child who is produced from the school will be a ‘total man.’

As an initiative, the Smart Green Schools aims to revolutionize education by integrating sustainability, technology, and innovation into modern learning environments. It focuses on creating eco-friendly, tech-enabled schools that foster creativity, digital literacy, and environmental consciousness among students.

Governor Mbah said at the launch of the smart schools that the initiative is very close to his heart. “This project is very close to my heart; it represents the most personal and transformative project of my leadership.

The schools are not just schools, but also my promise of a new society, and my covenant with the Enugu child. In that child, ‘Tomorrow Is Here’ finds its truest form,” he explained.

By way of definition of terms, ‘Smart’ means integrating technology, critical thinking, and problem-solving into every subject. Each has about 25 digitally-connected modern classrooms, ICT centres, robotics and AI labs, e-libraries, and spaces for experiential learning.

The schools are said to be ‘green’ because they have renewable energy sources and smart farms where children plant, grow, and harvest, learning agriculture not as theory, but as practice.

The governor sees the schools as a new epoch in the history of the state and the life of the state’s children. It is his signature initiative, which entails moving the existing primary and junior secondary schools to smart green schools.

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In the opinion of the governor, the world-class infrastructure and experiential learning designed for the smart schools are imperative to equip Enugu children with knowledge and skills to compete in the global economy. With that, the state is no longer one waiting to be served, but one shaping the future on its own terms.

“Africa today is the youngest continent in the world. More than 60 percent of our people are under the age of 25. By 2050, our population will reach 2.5 billion, and one in every three young people on earth will be an African. This is a stark reminder that our future will be built by young hands.

This is not just a statistic; it is an order. It means that the destiny of African nations rests on what we nurture in the minds and hearts of our children. If we raise them well and leave opportunity for them, when they inherit tomorrow, when they own it, they will shape it and defend it. If we fail them, no amount of slogans will save us,” he stated.