The Cross River State Government has approved the Statewide implementation of STEAM Clubs and the Quizarly Digital Learning Ecosystem across public and private secondary schools, making the State a trailblazer in educational innovation in Nigeria.
The approval followed a high-level presentation by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Students Advocacy, Dr. AbasiOfiok Akpabio Okhunlun, in collaboration with Dahel Technologies, to the Ministry of Education, led by the Commissioner, Professor Stephen Odey.
The initiative signaled the dawn of a new era in learning, that fuses creativity with technology, this equipping Cross River students for success in the global digital economy.
The journey toward this milestone began with the Cross River Students Academic-thon Challenge, a Statewide quiz competition that revealed a critical learning gap among the students. While Science students excelled, with support from JET Clubs, students in the Arts lacked similar platforms to harness their creative and analytical potential.
In response to the identified knowledge gap, Dahel Technologies developed Quizarly, a home-grown digital quiz and learning platform, and proposed the creation of STEAM Clubs, integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, to give every student, regardless of discipline, the opportunity to innovate, compete, and create.
Key Components of the Initiative include:
Quizarly – The Digital Backbone: a 24/7 interactive learning and competition platform accessible to all secondary schools in Cross River State. It tracks students performance in key examinations such as WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and JAMB; promotes collaboration, and hosts State-wide academic contests.
STEAM Clubs – The Innovation Hubs: to be established in all schools to nurture skills in robotics, coding, design, storytelling, public speaking, vocational learning, and creative problem-solving.
AI & Digital Literacy Program: provides early exposure to Artificial Intelligence, digital creativity, and technology-enabled learning for students.
The initiative is designed to be inclusive, interactive, and transformative for both public and private schools, with long-term benefits including job creation, teacher capacity building, and positioning Cross River State as a national hub for educational technology (EdTech) innovation.
Speaking after the presentation, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Stephen Odey, described the project as “a major step in modernizing education and aligning learning in Cross River State with the global knowledge economy.”
He reaffirmed Governor Bassey Otu’s commitment to educational reforms and technological advancement across the State.
“This isn’t just a digital platform, it’s a movement,” he said. “We are building the future of education, one school at a time.”
Mr. David Francis Effiong, who led the Dahel Technologies team, expressed readiness to roll out the project, confirming that implementation frameworks, teachers onboarding, student registration, and club activation will commence immediately.
He assured that the digital systems were fully developed and designed to deliver measurable educational impact Statewide.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Akpabio thanked the Honourable Commissioner and Directors in the Ministry for granting her and her team the opportunity to make the presentation, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to youth development through innovation.
It is worthy of note that with this approval, Cross River State becomes the first in Nigeria to officially adopt STEAM Clubs and a government-backed digital learning ecosystem across all secondary schools, setting a new benchmark for technology-driven education and creative learning in the country.
The approval of the STEAM Clubs and Quizarly Project is a strategic leap into the future of learning, innovation and digital sustainability. By investing in the minds of its young people, Cross River State is building not just classrooms, but creators and solution providers.
Patricia Ogbeche
