Over 120,000 pupils at the basic education level are being empowered with the skills and knowledge they require to thrive in an ever-evolving world through KwaraLEARN, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs Mary Kemi Adeosun, has said.
Mrs Adeosun stated this during the ‘Education World Forum 2023’, which was held in London, United Kingdom from May 7th to May 10th 2023.
The forum is the largest annual gathering of Education ministers from across the globe with the Executive Chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Professor Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, also in attendance.
Themed “New Beginnings: Nurturing Learning Culture, Building Resilience, Promoting Sustainability. Stronger, Bolder, Better Education by Design,” the forum was aimed at exploring innovative ways to build stronger, bolder, and better education systems that meet the needs of today’s learners and prepare them for the challenges of the future.
The permanent secretary added that the educational initiative of the state government, which formed presentations at the global forum, has so far on-boarded over 6,000 teachers across the 873 KwaraLEARN schools in 10 out of 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
She disclosed that plans were afoot to expand the programme to the remaining six local government areas soon.
The permanent secretary noted that each KwaraLEARN teacher is equipped with a handheld tablet, specially loaded with meticulously crafted lesson guides aligned with the national curriculum.
She said the guides incorporate proven and refined teaching techniques that maximize learning outcomes.
“One of the key benefits of KwaraLEARN is the ability to promote equity in education. By providing access to the same high-quality resources and curriculum across all public primary schools in Kwara State, the programme is helping to level the playing field and ensure that every child counts and has the opportunity to succeed”, Mrs Adeosun said.
The Herald reports that Kwara Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now (KwaraLEARN) is a transformative approach, which offered a fresh perspective on revolutionizing the learning experience in Kwara State.
The permanent secretary further explained, “Through KwaraLEARN’s transformative approach to education, the Kwara State government is actively addressing the disparities that exist within the education system, empowering over 120,000 Kwara pupils with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
“KwaraLEARN, which will officially celebrate its first anniversary on May 16, 2023, stands as a data-driven educational technology solution. The programme has successfully on-boarded over 6,000 government teachers across the 873 KwaraLEARN schools in 10 out of 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State, with plans to expand to the remaining six LGAs soon”.
Also speaking, the SUBEB Chairman described the impact of KwaraLEARN on education in Kwara State as profound, saying that it has led to surge in pupil enrollment and teachers’ attendance and punctuality among others.
He said, “With the advent of KwaraLEARN, we have witnessed significant improvements in teacher attendance and punctuality, pupil enrolment, content delivery, and social development. Our schools, spanning from P1 to P6, have become a source of great pride at both the state, national and international levels, as showcased here at the Education World Forum.
“This success is attributed to the unwavering support and contributions of His Excellency, our Governor, who has demonstrated a strong commitment to reforming education in Kwara State.” Prof. Shehu’s words reflect the transformative nature of KwaraLEARN and the dedication of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in driving positive change in the education sector.
“KwaraLEARN’s impact on education in Kwara State has been remarkable. Even in the first 12 months of the programme’s operations, learning rates for literacy measured three times faster, and in numeracy two times faster, than schools that were not in the KwaraLEARN programme”.
This article appeared originally in The Herald, May 12, 2023.
