Principal makes case for technology-driven education

By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt

PORT HARCOURT — Okrika Grammar School (OGS) has been named the Most Innovative School in Rivers State at the Port Harcourt Magazine Awards 2026, held on September 13.

The recognition comes as the 86-year-old institution steps up efforts to integrate technology into teaching and learning, including robotics, Python programming and artificial intelligence literacy.

Receiving the award on behalf of the school, its Principal, Mr. Kelvin Sampson Fubara, said the recognition reinforced his position that the age of a school should not prevent it from adapting to changing educational demands.

“The world is now a global village. Our students are not just competing with the boy or girl in the next classroom, or even the next state. They are competing with young people in Lagos, Nairobi and London for the same university admissions and the same jobs.

“If we do not raise them with 21st-century skills, we are sending them into that competition unarmed,” Fubara said.

He said the school had embraced artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies as part of its efforts to prepare students for the future.

Earlier this year, OGS established a robotics laboratory, which the school described as the first of its kind among secondary schools in Rivers State. The facility currently supports programmes in robotics, Python and AI literacy.

“Setting the pace is not a slogan for us. It is what we do. While other schools are still deciding whether AI belongs in a classroom, our students are already building with it,” Fubara said.

Founded in 1940 by the Church Missionary Society, OGS operates under the Diocese of Okrika, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).

Fubara said the school’s long history, together with the support of its alumni network, provided a foundation for its ongoing transformation.

He identified other recent developments at the school as the installation of a solar power system to support classroom activities, a Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre to prepare students for computer-based examinations, and computerised smartboards for interactive teaching and learning.

Fubara also challenged the perception that public schools could not compete with private institutions, stressing the role of missionary education in providing quality learning.

“OGS is not simply a public school. It is a missionary school, and missionary education has always carried an obligation to give back,” he said.

On youth unemployment, he said the school was focused on equipping students with skills relevant to the modern economy.

“We intend to close some of that gap by producing young people who are qualified for the jobs of this century, with technology as the foundation of that preparation,” he said.

Fubara attributed part of his approach to his experience with Niger Delta Innovate, a digital skills organisation he founded, which he said had trained more than 1,000 young Nigerians, with most subsequently securing employment.

He urged other schools seeking to improve their standards to embrace innovation and avoid becoming disconnected from changing realities.

“Schools have to stop being relics,” he said, urging institutions in both rural and urban communities to raise their ambitions, develop responsible leaders and benchmark their performance against global standards.

For Okrika Grammar School, the award comes amid its ongoing efforts to modernise teaching and learning while building on its long-standing educational heritage.

For Fubara, the recognition is both an acknowledgement of progress and a reminder that more work remains to be done.