Residents of Ntezi in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have pooled resources to provide new whiteboards and improve learning facilities across government schools in the community.
About 300 indigenes came together under the Ntezi People’s Forum (N-PeF) to launch the SMART Project — Schools Marker-board Advancement for Reliable Teaching, an initiative aimed at enhancing teaching and learning through modern classroom tools.
According to the project’s founder, Zack Onwe, the entire funding was voluntarily contributed by members of the community through a WhatsApp group. He noted that the gesture reflects the strength of community-led development and proves that meaningful progress does not always have to begin with government intervention.
Onwe explained that empowering communities to take responsibility for their own development can significantly boost educational outcomes and secure a brighter future for young learners.
Project coordinators, Uchenna Ogadu and Akpuro Sunday Prosper, visited several public schools in Ntezi to distribute the whiteboards and assess the state of facilities. While some schools recorded active learning environments, others suffered from poor attendance, teacher shortages, and in some cases, completely deserted compounds.
Ogadu described the situation as alarming and urged the government to intervene urgently, stressing that no community can thrive without a well-educated population.
Despite these setbacks, teachers and pupils in schools like Community Primary School Ulepa Ntezi and Ntezi Community Secondary School (Ozuma-Etta) expressed excitement and gratitude, emphasising how small improvements can inspire learning and restore hope.
The N-PeF team also visited the traditional ruler of Ntezi, HRH Ezeogo Francis Edechukwu (Ezeudo I of Ntezi), who commended the initiative for promoting grassroots development and encouraging self-driven progress.
Onwe added that the SMART Project goes beyond providing whiteboards. It aligns with N-PeF’s broader mission of encouraging community ownership across Africa, following earlier interventions such as scholarship schemes and the GoodWater Campaign.
He called on individuals and groups to join the movement, noting that sustainable development begins when communities are empowered to take charge of their future.
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