Katsina State’s new model smart schools are being positioned as a lifeline for children from rural and disadvantaged communities, with Governor Dikko Radda pledging that the institutions will deliver world-class education entirely free of charge.

Radda made the commitment while leading a delegation of 17 European Union envoys to Dumurkul Model Secondary School in Daura, one of three flagship smart schools established across the state’s three senatorial zones. He said the initiative is designed to break the cycle of poverty by prioritising talented children who would otherwise be left behind.

According to the governor, admission into the schools is strictly merit-based, with a deliberate focus on pupils emerging from public primary schools and remote communities. He stressed that the long-term goal is to produce a generation of young people capable of competing with their peers anywhere in the world.

Radda explained that each model school is equipped with round-the-clock electricity, ICT-enabled classrooms, student hostels and reliable internet connectivity. Tuition, accommodation, feeding and other essential services are provided at no cost, he added, to ensure that financial barriers do not exclude deserving candidates.

Briefing the visiting diplomats, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Suleiman Jibia, said the Dumurkul facility is nearing full completion, with commissioning expected soon. He noted that students have already been enrolled and teachers recruited, describing the schools as state-of-the-art centres that will eventually be replicated in other parts of the state.

The Netherlands Ambassador, Bengt van Loosdrecht, lauded the project, praising the Katsina government’s investment in modern learning infrastructure and its emphasis on expanding access to quality education for vulnerable groups.

Following the inspection of the school, the delegation visited the historic Kusugu Well in Daura, a landmark deeply woven into the region’s origin stories. Radda said preserving such heritage sites alongside new educational investments was central to safeguarding the identity and memory of Katsina’s people.

Egypt’s Ambassador, Mohamed Fouad, also commended the administration for protecting cultural assets and highlighted a cultural night hosted for the envoys as a vivid display of Katsina’s rich traditions. The delegation included Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe, Secretary to the State Government Abdullahi Garba Faskari, members of the State Executive Council and other senior officials.