Secondary school pupils in Borno State have built a humanoid robot designed to teach children in communities where insecurity, displacement, and teacher shortages have long disrupted learning. The robot, named "Max Zulum" in honour of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, was unveiled on Tuesday, August 4, at the graduation ceremony of the "Empowering Ideas, Empowering Communities" Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp and Data-Analytics Fellowship in Maiduguri.
Robot's Capabilities and Design
One of the student developers, Al-mustapha Kabir Matazu, described the robot as standing roughly 1.2 metres tall, fitted with a display screen on its chest and a speaker-microphone system that allows two-way voice interaction. Powered by a custom AI engine, the robot can process spoken questions and reply with verbal explanations while showing step-by-step solutions on its screen. Its current focus is primary-level maths and science, and it adjusts its teaching pace based on how each learner responds.
"During the demo, we asked the robot 'How does it solve mathematical solutions?' and it walked us through the entire process, highlighting each step on the screen," Matazu said. Fellow participant Fatima Abdulrahman, who won the bootcamp's innovation award, said the experience changed her view of what technology could achieve for her community. "I now see a future where I can build tools that keep our children learning, even when classrooms are unsafe," she said.
Addressing the Education Crisis
Borno State's education sector has been under severe strain for years. Data from the Federal Ministry of Education Annual School Census puts the average learner-to-teacher ratio in the state at 46 students per teacher, while UNICEF reports have previously cited ratios as high as 124 pupils per teacher in remote and conflict-affected primary schools. The Managing Director of Maxzeeton Technology said the robot represents a practical response to that gap.
"After just six months of intensive training, our students have turned theory into a functional prototype that can support pupils both at home and in the classroom," he said. He added that the programme also formally enrolled 100 university graduates and young people into a new Data Analytics, AI, and Robotics Fellowship on the same day.
Local Innovation and Future Plans
Engr Kabir Wanori, Executive Secretary of BICTDA, described Max Zulum as "the first of what we hope will be many locally-crafted solutions, not just for education but for agriculture, health and industry." He said BICTDA would arrange further training for the student developers and connect them with the international community to give their work broader exposure.
The event marked the end of a six-month programme backed by Maxzeeton Technology and the Borno State Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (BICTDA), Daily Trust reports. Students from six schools across the state took part in the bootcamp, where they received training in coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, and data analytics before working together to build the prototype.
Broader Impact and Recognition
The robot's unveiling highlights the potential of local youth to address pressing societal challenges through technology. With ongoing support from BICTDA and Maxzeeton, the student developers are poised to refine their creation and potentially scale it to other regions facing similar educational disruptions. As Borno continues to recover from years of insurgency, initiatives like this offer a beacon of hope for sustainable, community-driven solutions.
