Education Transformation: World Bank recommends EdoBEST

for Nigeria

26th October 2022

A delegation of the World Bank has indicated that the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) Programme’s model is adequate for holistic transformation of basic education service delivery in states across Nigeria

Senior economist with the Bank, Gloria Joseph-Raji made the disclosure during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Edo state, Mr Godwin Obaseki, as part of activities marking the Bank’s Edo Basic Education Sector and Skills Transformation Operation Programfor-Results (PforR) Assessment visit

According to Mrs Joseph-Raji, “Globally, we have socialized EdoBEST, as a lot of countries now know about the EdoBEST programme.

“Within Nigeria, EdoBEST is doing so well by helping to improve foundational learning The management of the World Bank thinks that this is a model that can be scaled to other states in Nigeria The Bank thinks that it is a useful model that other states in Nigeria can learn from ”

IEdoBEST has addressed a myriad of challenges that faced the basic education sector in Edo state prior to its launch in 2018

The programme currently runs in 1,330 state-owned junior secondary and primary schools across Edo state, catering to the learning and empowerment needs of over 350,000 pupils in the 18 local government areas of the state EdoBEST uses a pedagogy similar to what is used in Bridge Kenya Schools

Earlier in 2022, a two-year study by Nobel prize-winning economist Professor Michael Kremer confirmed that the methodology delivers superior learning outcomes compared to traditional methods used in state-run schools in Kenya.

The programme uses technology and roving Quality Assurance teams who track effectiveness of implementation and learning outcomes in schools Technologybacked teacher guides monitor attendance, timing of lesson delivery, and pupil comprehension to ensure that learning is simultaneously going on in all participating schools

A central academic team periodically reviews outcomes to enable policy makers iterate lessons in real time and identify teacher needs to design further training modules

The extensive data collected by the programme is used to dynamically improve its model and contribute to the pedagogy

In February 2022, the EdoBEST programme was expanded to accommodate progressive schools (schools located in rural and hard-toreach areas) and the result has been commended by parents, teachers, community leaders and pupils

Responding to the visiting delegation, Governor Obaseki noted that Edo State has instigated a revolution in education on the African continent.

He further noted that the difference between Edo state and many other states in Nigeria is the scalability and the sustainability of what we have done with EdoBEST