Unilorin runs ‘SMART’ agenda to enhance teaching, learning, research— Egbewole

Wahab Egbewole, the vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has disclosed that the university currently runs a SMART agenda, which emphasises the use of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and research.

The vice-chancellor made this known in a statement issued at by Kunle Akogun, the university’s director of corporate affairs in commemoration of the International Day of Education held recently.

Egbewole said that the theme of the 2025 International Day of Education, which is “AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation” aligned perfectly with the giant strides of the university in the area of artificial intelligence.

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“The university recognised the critical role education plays in preparing future leaders to navigate the evolving landscape, our commitment is to equip our students with the knowledge and skills needed to harness the potentials of AI for societal progress,” he said.

He described the theme of this year’s International Day of Education marked on January 24, which centred on the usefulness of artificial intelligence in the education sector as appropriate and forward-looking.

The vice-chancellor further disclosed that the university recently trained 21 of its students on the use of artificial intelligence with plans to sponsor 500 more in due course.

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According to Egbewole, the trainings were aimed at encouraging the beneficiaries to acquire and expand needed skills in the exploration and deployment of artificial intelligence for innovations and future career progression.

In addition, the vice-chancellor said that the institution has been at the forefront of promoting excellence in education and community development.

“We have made significant strides in the area of Artificial Intelligence and have also invested heavily in digital infrastructure, including a state-of-the-arts data centre and a robust network that supports online learning.

With plans to establish a Centre for Artificial Intelligence already in advanced stage, the Centre for Cybersecyrity and COMSIT are currently coordinating the AI endeavours of the University,” he said.