Zoe Schools Ogbomoso: Building a 'smart school,' breaking new frontiers

Image caption: Rev’d Niyi Adebayo founder and proprietor of Zoe Group of Schools with his wife

Zoe Schools Ogbomoso: Building a ‘smart school,’ breaking new frontiers

Femi OGUNLANA

Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare, the no. 1 leading education technology platform in Africa for K-12, serving more than 1million students, 300 thousand parents, says of smart schools in a post on X, “A smart school isn’t just a shiny building, it’s technology, data-driven teaching, and future-ready skills.”

When vision meets creativity and determination, great things happen. Doors open. History is created.

Monday, August 18, 2025, will be a history making day in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, as Zoe Group of Schools plans to intimate the world about its innovations and breakthrough in migration to digital technology which will enhance its keeping abreast of the unraveling world of digitalism.

The Nigerian government has affirmed and re-affirmed that the conduct of WAEC and NECO exams will henceforth be computer based, a move the examination bodies have embraced.

Only Saturday, it’s reported that WAEC communicated schools informing them the 2026 WASSCE would be pen and computer based. Details are yet to be given though.

One school – Zoe Schools – however is blazing the trail in this direction, not only in Oyo state but Nigeria as a whole, as it is set to open one of the largest CBT centres in the country, with the unveiling ceremony slated for September 9 in Ogbomoso.

That is an awesome feat, highly inspiring and motivating. For a private school to take the lead in such front is commendable. It is motivating to however realise that the dream started small first publicly hinted at at the 20th anniversary of the school in September last year, when the founder and proprietor of the school, Rev’d. Niyi Adebayo, informed of their new focus. Today, the dream is materializing with this ambitious leap.

“We are reloading as we commence another session, in the ICT we are taking a step further, we are properly reloading, we have introduced coding, and robotics by the special grace of God. We will then move to AI (Artificial Intelligence) straight. It is a new dawn at Zoe as far as technology is concerned. We are also going to reload our vocational activities. Our students will graduate with two certificates – WAEC and vocational. Minimum of one vocation either in barbing, photography, videography, cosmetology, fashion designing, just name it. It is now very mandatory for every student of Zoe to take one, we want to inculcate in them proper skills, that is the reality of where we are today in Nigeria. We are reloading to become more and more effective,” Rev’d Niyi Adebayo had said purposefully at the anniversary.

Now affirming the transition, a letter informing of the intent made available to ogbomosoinsightonline.com states.”On behalf of the management of Zoe Schools, we are pleased to invite you and other education officials in your zone to our press conference announcing the official launch of the Zoe Schools CBT & ICT Training Centre.”

Related Posts:

Continuing it submits, “This new facility is designed to provide students and the wider community with access to world-class computer-based testing (CBT) and ICT training, thereby enhancing examination preparedness, digital literacy, and innovation in education.”

The national press conference to hold at Zoe College, Ilorin road, opposite Alata Flour Mills, Abaa, “will provide an opportunity to share the vision and objectives of the training center, its anticipated impact on education, and ways your distinguished office can collaborate to extend its benefits to learners across our schools.”

The schools encompassing creche, nursery, primary and secondary sections, operate from eight centres across the local governments in Ogbomoso zone.

Its story is a romance of history. It was mocked at inception sparked by the name it chose, particularly the inclusion of “Group of Schools.” The mockers derided the nomenclature as an overreach, “you that don’t have up to ten pupils, hibernating in a rented apartment calling yourself group of schools is ridiculous,” they were laughed off. But today, the story has changed, the initial dream is robustly realised and being confidently exceeded.

Zoe Schools is now branding and evolving into a “smart school,” embracing use of technology to enhance students’ learning experience. And “making it more interactive, engaging, and efficient.”

Smart schools “integrate digital tools like computers, interactive whiteboards, and internet connectivity into the learning environment.”

The goal of smart schools is to “prepare students for the digital age by incorporating technology into various aspects of the curriculum and teaching methods.”

Some state governments in the East like Enugu and Abia are heavily investing in schools’ infrastructure and embedding cutting – edge technology to create smart schools, leveraging technology to create dynamic and interactive learning experiences, aimed at equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital world.

That is the path Zoe Schools has decided to toe zooming ahead of others, inspiring a generation. It is indeed a new dawn in Ogbomoso, a testament to the bravery of an individual, who once was denied secondary school admission due to inability to pay school fees. This man’s never-say-die, can-do spirit has created a history in the educational terrain.

More wins, greater heights in Jesus name.