*As Smart Schools Resume September
*Ex-APC State Chair, Nwoye, Demands State Police
By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
As part of the sweeping education reforms introduced by Governor Peter Mbah’s administration, the Enugu State Government has announced ongoing intensification of training for more than 18,000 public school teachers with phase 1 already concluded.
The training is a preparatory move ahead of the resumption of Smart Green Schools across the state, set to begin in September 2025.
This was even as the state government stated that it would partner with local governments on intensive training of teachers for phase 2 of the programme, which will soon commence.
The State Commissioner for Education, Professor Ndubueze Mbah, disclosed these at a seminar held over the weekend in Enugu, capital of the South-East Nigerian state.
He stated that the teachers—comprising both newly recruited and existing educators—underwent rigorous training programme focused on digital literacy and 21st-century instructional methods.
The initiative, he noted, is part of the state’s commitment to repositioning education through innovation and technology.
Professor Mbah further explained that the training was necessitated by the state’s strategic shift from traditional teaching and learning practices, such as rote memorisation, to experiential and interactive learning models.
“We are ushering in a new era where learners are equipped not just with facts, but with applicable knowledge and skills that are relevant in the modern world.
“We cannot achieve this feat without first training our teachers and equipping them with requisite knowledge needed for this strategic pedagogy,” the Commissioner said.
“The Smart Green Schools, a flagship education programme of the Mbah administration, are designed to integrate digital tools, smart classrooms, and new subjects into the basic education system. Additionally, the training also covered Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which aims to empower students with practical skills for entrepreneurship and employability,” he added.
According to him, the administration had, in a bold move to ensure quality education, earlier conducted a computer-based Content Specialty Test and Digital Literacy Assessment in August 2024, saying 17,620 applicants sat for the test, with only 16% passing the benchmark.
He revealed that those who passed, alongside 18,052 existing teachers in public schools, underwent further intensive digital training.
As a follow-up to the phase one programme, the state government has announced a strategic partnership with local government Chairmen across the state to kickstart phase two of the training.
This next phase, according to Professor Mbah, will intensify focus on classroom application of digital tools and continuous professional development for teachers in rural and urban areas.
The Commissioner emphasized that more advanced trainings and evaluations would be conducted before the September resumption date, in line with the Enugu State Teachers Professional Development Policy.
He stressed that the initiatives also align with the Education Transformation Plan 2025–2035, which seeks to reimagine the state’s education sector into a globally competitive and locally relevant system.
Speaking on the broader vision, Professor Mbah highlighted that the Smart Green Schools and TVET programmes were crafted not only to make students competitive in the global knowledge economy but also to position them as problem-solvers in their communities.
“Our students will not just consume Aknowledge; they will create it, apply it, and profit from it,” he said.
He also commended Gov. Mbah for his unwavering commitment to education, noting that Enugu now boasts the highest subnational education budget in the country.
“This kind of financial prioritisation is rare and shows that our Governor understands that the future of any state lies in the quality of its education,” the Commissioner noted.
Govs As Chief Security Officers Mere Rhetoric, Says Enugu Former APC Chair
Also in Enugu State, the immediate past Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, has faulted the claim that governors are the Chief Security Officers of their states, describing the claim as a mere rhetoric, even as he advocated for state policing in Nigeria.
He stated this at the weekend while speaking during the new edition of the 2025 Enugu State Security Summit held at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), organized by the Director of the Inter Campus Management of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Enugu State chapter, Comrade Ogbodo Ebubechukwu.
He stated that the 1999 Constitution gave the role of policing the country, including the states, to the Federal Government, noting that the role is in the exclusive list.
Nwoye, a lecturer at the Institute of Conflict and Development Studies of ESUT, stressed that the police usually take orders “from above.”
He explained that even the personal security guards of Governors could be recalled if they do not play their role well.
Nwoye, however, stated that the Governors are only playing supportive role to the Federal Government to secure their states.
According to him, there is need for amendment of the 1999 Constitution for inclusion of state policing so that Governors will have full powers over the police in their states.
” As at few days ago, the government realized their error; we now have President Tinubu pushing for state policing. The 1999 Constitution says that the job of policing this nation lies with the Federal Government,” he stated.
Nwoye also identified absence of true records to be cited for the actual number of policemen or soldiers as part of the problem.
He told the participants to appeal to their political representatives to push for inclusion of state policing in the Constitution.
