The Enugu State Government will fully open all 260 Smart Green Schools across the state in January 2026, introducing digital classrooms, robotics labs, solar power, and a free daily meal for over 300,000 children.
Governor Peter Mbah announced this during his 2026 New Year’s Day broadcast, where he highlighted the education sector as one of the key areas that will define the state’s development drive in the new year. He said the Smart Green Schools initiative was no longer an idea on paper but a completed reality that would begin operations across all wards in Enugu.
According to the Governor, “Today, across the 260 wards of our state, Smart Green Schools stand ready for January opening. Digital whiteboards, Robotics labs, solar power, dedicated teachers, and the largest school feeding programme in our history await the children.” He emphasized that the schools were designed to prepare Enugu’s young learners for the emerging world by integrating digital tools, science, and innovation into their daily education experience.
Governor Mbah explained that the Smart Schools represent a bold step towards ensuring every child in the state, irrespective of background, has access to quality and future-driven education. He noted that the project was a product of collective vision, patience, and partnership between the government and the people.
“These schools were once nothing more than a bold idea,” he recalled. “Three years ago, much of what we now take for granted existed only as hope in the hearts of a determined people. Yet we planted them, together. And because we stayed the course, the seed has grown into something that touches every life in this state today.”
The Governor said that beyond constructing classrooms, the goal was to transform learning outcomes through technology and practical exposure. Each Smart Green School is equipped with digital whiteboards to replace traditional chalkboards, robotics and science labs to foster innovation, and solar energy systems to guarantee constant power supply. Teachers are also being trained and redeployed to deliver modern teaching methods that reflect global standards.
Governor Mbah pointed out that the education reforms also include the largest school feeding programme in the state’s history. More than 300,000 children will benefit from free daily meals once the schools open. He described the feeding initiative as both a social and economic intervention that would support children’s nutrition, boost school attendance, and empower local food producers across the communities.
In his words, “Every urban road across our cities will be paved and upgraded, and all 260 Smart Schools will open fully, offering digital learning, science labs, renewable power and a free daily meal to more than 300,000 children.”
He said the administration’s commitment to education was driven by the understanding that human capital development is the foundation for long-term economic growth. The Smart Green Schools, he added, were part of a wider vision to make Enugu a knowledge-based economy where education and innovation lead development.
Governor Mbah further assured that the government would maintain high standards in the construction and operation of the schools, stressing that “every block of concrete and every public building must meet standards that honour our children’s children.” He urged the people to take pride in the progress made and continue to support the government in achieving inclusive development.
He also called for discipline and shared responsibility to protect and sustain the progress already made in the education sector and other areas. “We must protect what we have built, finish what we have started, and refuse complacency in any form. If we do that, the progress we see today will not fade. It will grow,” he said.
The Governor noted that 2026 would be a year of deeper work and consolidation, not a victory lap. He said the Smart Schools were just the beginning of an education revolution that would secure the future of Enugu’s children for generations. “This is the year where the work deepens, where the foundations we laid must be strengthened, where momentum must not only be sustained but accelerated,” he stated.
He urged parents, teachers, and community leaders to embrace the new system, describing education as the greatest equalizer and the most valuable inheritance any society can offer its children. Through the Smart Green Schools initiative, Enugu State aims to redefine the learning experience, close the digital divide, and empower the next generation with skills to thrive in a fast-changing world.
