Smart Headteachers and Acting Principals of JSS are charged to be more effective in service delivery, conscious of performance, and to pursue evidence-based results in their schools.
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The Headteachers and Acting Principals of the 260 Smart Green Schools were today charged to value their jobs, to be more dedicated to service, shun extortion of any kind, lead by example, and impart positive values in the children.
The remarks were made during the meeting of the Smart Headteacher and Acting Principals with the Executive Chairman of ENSUBEB, SPA on Education, Board Members, and Management Staff at the GTC SGS Campus 1.
The Executive Chairman of ENSUBEB reiterated that the Board and indeed, the government of Enugu State will not tolerate any reports of truancy, abscondment, any act of conniving or conspiring to cheat on the children, and any form of indolence, poor outputs, or extortion. He urged the Headteachers and Acting Principals to ensure that their teachers deliver at the appropriate time, and make learning child-centred.
The Headteachers and Acting Principals from across the state gathered to take directives from the leadership of the Education sector in respect to school resumption on Monday, and to be acquainted with the requirements of the Smart Green School.
The pre-resumption meeting aimed to set the tone for a new academic chapter under the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board’s watch, including the oversight of all stakeholders in the basic education subsector.
The Executive Chairman, Hyginus Banko Okibe, who the SPA Education, Board Members and Management Staff flanked, reminded the Headteachers and Acting Principals that education is not a routine but a responsibility that shapes destinies. Professor Okibe, therefore, charged the Headteachers and Acting Principals to rise above complacency and embrace vigilance.
He reminded them that the school resumption will mark another milestone in the practical demonstration of all the takeaways in the training organized for the Headteachers, Acting Principals, and Teachers, especially, the “Experiential Learning Pedagogy”. The children must be exposed to new skills and experience new learning outcomes.
He informed the Headteachers and Acting Principals that Solar projects have already begun and most of the schools are receiving the needed technology tools and equipment that make the Smart Green Schools actually Smart. Based on the cost implications of these materials, the issue of school security is no longer a peripheral duty but a core obligation. Schools must become sanctuaries – safe, alert, and prepared to safeguard government investments in public institutions.
Consequently, every Headteacher and Acting Principal must function as the first line of defence, cultivating an environment where learning can thrive without fear of loss of “Teaching Learning Materials” (TLM).
According to the ENSUBEB Boss, the primary assignment of the Headteachers and Acting Principals, “is to ensure that every child receives the very best from the teacher”. It was not a suggestion; it was a mandate. Classrooms must move beyond routine teaching into purposeful learning, where curiosity is ignited, and understanding is deepened.
The ENSUBEB Boss further emphasized that punctuality is not negotiable and dedication is not optional. Discipline must become culture. He warned against the silent erosion of standards—the small compromises that gradually weaken the system. Every minute lost, every duty ignored, he noted, is a disservice to the child and a betrayal of public trust.
On the issue of extortion, Prof Okibe stated that, “There must be zero tolerance to extortion under whatever presence.” “No learner should be burdened, intimidated, or exploited under any guise.” Education, he insisted, must remain a right—not a transaction. Any act that contradicts this principle undermines the integrity of the entire system. Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has made basic education in Enugu State free and the Headteachers and Acting Principals must ensure full compliance with this mandate.
Professor Okibe therefore urged the Headteachers and Acting Principals to lead by example, and inspire their staff through character and competence. He encouraged collaboration, continuous self-improvement, and openness to innovation, especially in a time when education is rapidly evolving. He spoke of schools not just as centres of instruction but as hubs of transformation—places where values are shaped, futures are built, and excellence is nurtured.
In his vote of thanks, the Secretary, Association of Primary School Headteachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Mr. Bernard Ozoike, thanked the Executive Chairman, the SPA Education, Board Members, and the Management Team for standing tall in the midst of challenges which the transition to Smart Green Schools brought. He pledged on behalf of the Head teachers and Acting Principals to leave no stone unturned in carrying out the expectations for effective operations of the Smart Green Schools. He promised that in Enugu State, under this purposeful leadership of the Governor and the most dogged and workaholic ENSUBEB Chairman, the teachers will do their best in pursuit of quality education, which will not be compromised and every learner will matter.