Recognition of Kwara State's Leadership in Education, 2021 - 2022
2022
Kwara teachers to get tablets, smartphones for education programme
3rd May 2022 Kwara State Government said that it has secured the delivery of 4,329 tablets and smartphones for teachers to implement the KwaraLEARN education programme Other requirements for the programme such as procurement of 250 blackboards, hiring of IT operation teams, setting up of teachers’ tablets and, validation of tech applications in schools has also been put in place. The Chairman of the State Universal Primary Education Board, Sheu Adaramaja, said that the government would on May 16, 2022 kick-start its data-driven education transformation project, KwaraLEARN, across 365 primary schools in the state. According to a statement signed by Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Adaramaja said that the programme would commence across 365 primary schools in Baruten, Offa, Ilorin East, and Ilorin West Local Government Areas of the state.
The KwaraLEARN intervention by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration is a public education transformation programme to improve teaching and learning using innovative technology, data-driven platforms, high-quality learning materials, effective training and continuous coaching and support for teachers and school administrators. “KwaraLEARN could not have come at a better time, given the challenges education is facing in Nigeria as captured by a United Nations Children’s Fund report delivered during a recent programme,” he said. “Starting with governance, the Kwara State Ministry of Education, KwaraSUBEB and our technical partner, NewGlobe, developed a project communication and coordination plan to guide the management of the programme.
“Stakeholder sensitisation campaigns have also happened in the four pilot local governments, with meetings held with traditional rulers, education trade union representatives and Education Secretaries, among others. “Today, KwaraLEARN has completed academic field studies in randomly selected schools to learn about teachers’ English fluency and proficiency, pupil oral reading fluency, and foundational numeracy,” he added. Adaramaja explained that the process employed by KwaraLEARN has been systematic and scientific to achieve the desired learning outcomes. He said the decision to start the project was sequel to the critical achievements the State has earlier recorded in academics, governance, stakeholder engagements, operations, school inspection, technology, job creation, leadership and development.
AbdulRazaq excited as 1,920 teachers undergo KwaraLEARN training 28th April 2022 Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has expressed satisfaction at the performance of teachers undergoing a two-week training as part of the preparations to commence the KwaraLEARN basic education project in the State. The flagship education programme of the administration, KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is designed to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes in public schools for all children across Kwara State. It will transform all government primary schools across the state into powerful public schools using an innovative technology and data-driven platform, high-quality learning materials, effective training and ongoing coaching for teachers and school leaders, and technology-enabled support teams to create 360-degree support for learning outcomes. The pilot phase of the programme captures basic schools in Baruten, Offa, Ilorin West, and Ilorin East – while other local governments will follow in the coming year. Speaking in Ilorin at the venue of the training for teachers, Abdulrazaq said the programme would drastically improve the capacity of teachers, encourage transparency in the school environment, and improve quality of public education and learning outcomes. “I congratulate you all because the process you are going through will be of benefit to all of us in the state, in Nigeria and to humanity. The knowledge to be imparted will improve our society,” he said
AbdulRazaq, who acknowledged the important roles that teachers play in shaping the future of any nation, said his administration will consider more incentives to boost their morale in schools.
He said the technology-based training will teach them how to use smart phones and tablets to monitor attendance, assess pupils, grade and transmit their results to their parents after school exams.
“For me, I respect all of you for what you do. They say the teachers’ reward is in heaven. We also need to take care of you while alive. The state government, as much as possible, will try to look into your welfare. It is important because your livelihood solely depends on teaching. You don’t joke with your salary. That is why we made the N30,000 minimum wage for workers our priority,” he added.
“From the tablet you give everyone of them, they will be able to take class attendance of pupils, do assessment, grade them and transmit their results to their parents, rather than relying on the old PPT (Paper Pen Test) to achieve assessment of pupils,” Adaramaja said.
The Governor also visited Kwara students who recently emerged as Nigerian champions in the Presidential debate in their training camp ahead of the world schools debate in the Netherlands in August. Chairman Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Prof. Raheem Sheu Adaramaja, said the training is in phases, starting from two local governments of Ilorin West and Baruten, with the selected head teachers and classroom teachers as participants under the first phase.
Adarmaja also said the Board had engaged the services of experts, particularly native speakers of English language, in equipping the pupils ahead of the international debate competition. Mrs. Margaret Olufunke Awotunde, SUBEB Training officer, said at least 1,920 participants from four local governments (Ilorin West, East, Offa and Baruten) are expected to attend the ongoing phase of the training. Some of the teachers who spoke on the training commended the state government for the initiative, which they believed would lessen their task of writing through paper and pen and conform to 21st century realities.
Govt, education stakeholders urged to adopt inclusive learning approach for better outcomes 15th March 2022 The government and other stakeholders in the education sector in Nigeria have been urged to embrace a more inclusive learning approach in the implementation of education technology-driven initiatives to achieve better learning outcomes and results. This was the summation from the just-concluded edition of the EdTech Initiative put together by Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with CcHub Limited. The virtual roundtable featured panelists such as cofounder/strategy and head, Maevis Computer Limited, Chizaram Ucheaga, certified English Language teacher from Lagos State, Bisayo Adewole, and the moderator, Joyce Daniel, a social engineer. At the virtual roundtable, titled “Education in the pandemic era, the role of technology,” Ucheaga emphasized the need for government and stakeholders to embrace more inclusive learning to create a robust and well-rounded educational system. Ucheaga stressed that, with the shift to infrastructure-based technology to drive learning during the COVID-19 pandemic,
government needs to continue to leverage technology in reinventing the education system in Nigeria. According to him, the responsibility lies with stakeholders, particularly the government, to design a curriculum that addresses every student’s needs, irrespective of their challenge or status. “During the pandemic, education stakeholders launched online radio initiatives to ensure that students continued to learn. As a result, the government now appreciates how technology is being used in driving learning. They have then launched initiatives such as the EdoBest and Kwara-learn, in partnership with international organisations, to deliver learning to students."
He further stated that stakeholders must come to terms with the reality that education or learning was fast moving away from the conventional approach of the physical classroom structure to the virtual classroom, clamoring for the need to build holistic education solutions that would serve students, depending on their needs. Also speaking, Adewole, an EdTech teacher from Akoko High School, Lagos, noted that people’s minds were open to the benefits of technology in driving learning despite the pandemic. She, however, stated that more still needs to be done to ensure that both teachers and students have access to digital tools and training to achieve optimal learning outcomes.
Kwara To Enroll Out-of-School Children
14th March 2022 The Kwara State government has concluded arrangements to enroll out-of-school children in schools across the state. The state’s Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajiya Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, who made disclosure, said this was necessary in order to secure the future of the children.
She said the state government will not leave any stone unturned in its efforts to remove children of school age from streets and reduce the number of out-of-school children to the minimum.
The commisssioner noted that parents in communities identified with large number of out-of-school children will be carried along in designing method of education that will suit the needs of their children and wards.
Modibbo-Kawu explained that the ‘Kwara Learn Programme’ has been introduced to turn around teaching and learning in public schools and make it attractive.
She added that the state government has renovated over 600 schools across the state to ensure a conducive teaching and learning environment.
Emir of Ilorin commends Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s KwaraLEARN Program Hajia Modibbo reiterated the commitment of the present administration in providing sound and quality education that will give our future leaders a chance in life and also allow them to be useful for themselves and the society. KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is the digitization of teaching and learning to foster learning outcomes in public schools. The programme has a vision to “transform all Government Primary Schools across the state through Innovative Technology, DataDriven Platforms, High-Quality Learning Materials, effective Training and Coaching for Teachers and School Leaders”.
28th February 2022 Kwara State government has again been commended for its laudable projects across the state, especially the recent introduction of digitization in public primary schools across the state. The Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Zulu-Gambari made the commendation during KwaraLEARN stakeholders’ sensitization led by the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu to the Emir’s palace. According to him, “Education is the best legacy a country can give to her future leaders for them to be useful for themselves and the society.
Let me use this medium to commend the good initiative of His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on educational development in the state."
The three (3) year programme, which will run between 2022-2025 will cover all the primary schools in the sixteen (16) Local Government Areas in Kwara State with the target of 400,000 pupils.
The highly revered monarch noted that the digitalization of public schools will go a long way in increasing the quality and standard of education in the state and also allow them to compete with their mates across the world. He prayed for the success of the program.
Some of the education stakeholders in Ilorin West and Ilorin East Local Government Areas were engaged to intimate them on the need to support the laudable project of the present administration in its bid to take the education sector to greater heights.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu had appreciated the Emir of Ilorin for his unflinching support of the present administration.
Other stakeholder meetings were held at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School and Government Secondary School, both in the Ilorin metropolis.
KwaraLEARN Ramps Up Activities as Implementation Team Concludes Data Gathering Exercise 1st February 2022 The data-driven transformation of primary education in Kwara State through KwaraLEARN, the recently launched education intervention by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is well underway as the Implementation Team has gathered preliminary academic data. The data-gathering exercise saw the Implementation Team having robust engagements with administrators and teachers in the selected schools to develop fit-for-purpose academic plans and quality instructional materials. The Team visited 30 schools in Baruten, Offa, Ilorin East and Ilorin West local governments as part of preparations for the full take-off of the initiative, a strategic intervention by the state government to radically transform public primary schools through the deployment of e-learning platforms for the improvement of both teachers and pupils. Field officers and researchers obtained information on pupil and teacher performance and other relevant data to aid planning and curriculum development ahead of the programme’s commencement. The data obtained would also be good for textbook selection and rigour of content and instruction in teacher guides. Speaking on the exercise, the Kwara State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, explained that it was to ensure that all its actions and plans are datadriven for optimum results.
Gathering relevant data is crucial to the success of this intervention. We need to know the current state of affairs in the public schools to guide us in drawing up plans for both pupils and teachers. The data will also offer useful insights into trends in the schools because that’s the purpose of data. It’s not an end in itself but to get insights and on that basis, build the curriculum."
Governor AbdulRazaq signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for KwaraLearn (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) in November 2021.
“Besides, school-level data will inform programming decisions such as timetable creation, specialist designations, and assessment structures. This program is very dear to our Governor, so we intend to achieve all its goals using every available scientific means to not only design the plans but also measure its impacts as we progress. Introducing KwaraLEARN attests to the vision and foresight of Governor AbdulRazaq. It affirms his commitment to transformational education through elearning platforms and tailor-made solutions for teachers. This is what serious leaders do, and he has demonstrated he is with us on this strategic intervention.”
The initiative that would use innovative technology, data-driven platforms, high-quality learning materials, practical training and continuous coaching and support for teachers and school administrators will also enhance the teacher-pupil interaction experience through technology (eLearning), boost uniformity and strict adherence to the curriculum.
Some of the expected benefits of the intervention include accelerating students’ literacy and numeracy, better classroom culture and more robust curriculum management.
AbdulRazaq introduces KwaraLEARN to revolutionise basic education Abdullahi, who disclosed that he was aware of EdoBEST and EKOEXCEL, said KwaraLEARN is a thoughtful and vital intervention by the forward-looking Governor investing massively in education. "“Governor AbdulRazaq is God-sent to us in Kwara because this is a muchneeded intervention in basic education. He knows the importance of education in today’s world, especially as we have since moved into a knowledge economy. How will our children cope if they have faulty educational foundations? How will they fare in a digital 21st century where knowledge is crucial? This is a strategic initiative that would benefit all classes of people in Kwara and rescue public primary schools. With sound education for our children, our state’s future is secured.”
10th January 2022 Basic education in Kwara State is undergoing a revolution following the introduction of KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration. KwaraLEARN is a public education transformation programme that would improve teaching and learning using innovative technology, datadriven platforms, high-quality learning materials, effective training and continuous coaching and support for teachers and school administrators. Governor AbdulRazaq signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of KwaraLEARN last November to develop the education sector and further boost its contribution to sustainable economic growth and development.
The education reform programme will enhance the teacher-pupil interaction experience through technology (eLearning), boost uniformity and strict adherence to the curriculum as teachers’ tablets will be preloaded with lessons and content that will be effectively monitored for standardisation across all public primary schools. Governor AbdulRazaq’s flagship education programme, which will run till 2025, will also accelerate pupils’ learning, lead to better classroom culture and more robust curriculum management. The innovative intervention will accelerate student literacy and numeracy performance while also upskilling teachers. Commenting on the initiative, a parent, Ganiyu Abdullahi, expressed delight with Governor AbdulRazaq’s strategic intervention while highlighting the benefits to students, teachers and the state.
Chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), Prof Shehu Adaramaja, who has oversight over the intervention, also explained how it would further reposition public schools. He reiterated the government’s commitment to education, adding that instruction in public primary schools would be enhanced with e-learning tools and access to high-quality and wellsupported teachers.
“The Governor has been concerned about the state of public schools since he assumed office and has worked assiduously to arrest the rot. KwaraLEARN is a further demonstration of his commitment to academic excellence and positioning our state for sustainable development in the 21st century."
2021
Kwara’s ICT Revolution To Strengthen Basic Education 16th November 2021 A major leap that will transform basic education in Kwara State has been evolved. The state government is investing over one trillion naira on the programme tagged “KwaraLEARN”, digital platform, to improve learning outcomes for primary school pupils across the state. Worried by the challenges of sliding fortunes bedeviling the education sector due to inadequate funding, shortage of quality teachers, dearth of school facilities, resulting in overall poor standard, especially basic education sub-sector, Kwara State Government has evolved a silent revolution that would urgently tackle the problems and reposition the system for quality delivery. But, determined to address these challenges and set basic education, the foundation of education on the path or reckoning for the challenges of the 21st Century, the state government-led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has channeled huge resources in education infrastructure, especially in basic education. As part of moves to tackle the rot in the system and enhance quality teaching and learning in the basic education, the state government penultimate week introduced ‘KwaraLEARN Programme’ an educational transformation initiative in public schools across the state.
Prior to the signing of the document, the State Executive Council (SEC) had at its meeting given statutory approval to the initiative, particularly to ensure its effective implementation. According to SEC, the KwaraLEARN programme was conceived to transform the current analogue state of teaching and learning to a modern digital learning process, using modern technology platforms. It, however, added that the initiative would significantly improve learning outcomes of the children in the state. Apart from eliminating the unwholesome phenomenon of ghost teachers through emonitoring of teaching across the state, the programme, according to the government, would in the long run place the education standard of the state at a better pedestal.
Another major objective of the project is that it would expose the pupils to updated The Memorandum of Understanding contents when it comes to elearning, while (MoU) for the over a trillion naira its successful implementation would also (N1,072,336,784) programme, which would run between 2022 and 2025, was move public primary school pupils from signed by Kwara State Government-led analogue learning process to the modern ICT teaching and learning process. by Governor AbdulRazaq and New Globe Consultants, the government’s Meanwhile, Governor AbdulRazaq, while technical partners, a firm with a track endorsing the ‘KwaraLEARN’ record and achievements in similar Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), he projects in Lagos and Edo states.
tagged the initiative as his administration’s flagship Public Education Transformation Programme designed to improve learning outcomes for primary school pupils. According to him, it is a lifetime investment of the state government to empower teachers and give public school pupils the best shot at 21st Century education with reverberating effects on the future of the state. The governor said: “The Kwara- LEARN programme will empower our teachers with the right digital tools to be at their best, while providing an electronic platform to make classrooms and schools transparent. The technology will monitor attendance and performance of pupils and teachers in all classrooms, as well as offering continual support and feedback. "This is our flagship education programme. It will transform all government primary schools using innovative technology, data-driven platforms, high-quality learning materials, effective training and ongoing coaching and support for teachers and school leaders. “Our technical partners, New- Globe, are
trusted to drive this programme to success. They have done it in Edo and Lagos states respectively, and we trust them to do a lot more to partner with other stakeholders towards returning basic education to the dream of our founding fathers. “KwaraLEARN represents our vision for a stronger Kwara. It is set to deliver dramatic improvement in learning outcomes for public school children across the state as it will accelerate the numeracy and literacy skills of our pupils, and enable them to compete with their peers anywhere in the world. “This is because we believe that the path to prosperity is through the education of the Kwara child. Education underpins economic growth, stability, and sustainable development. KwaraLEARN will deploy 21st Century technology to support teachers and schools. It will enable our children to fulfill their potential and offer them and the state a brighter future. KwaraLEARN will empower our teachers to become highly skilled through training and motivation to succeed at their job.
“Technology is the future. I urge the people of our state, especially our education stakeholders to support this great initiative. It is the best investment we can make in the future of the Kwara child.” However, critical stakeholders in the state’s education sector, including the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools
(ANCOPSS), have described the programme as a welcome development that would change the narrative of basic education in the state. The President of the state chapter of ANCOPSS, Alhaji Toyin Abdullahi, said the KwaraLEARN programme would go a long way in empowering teachers with the right digital tools to be at their best, as it would provide an electronic platform to make classrooms and schools transparent. “We have no iota of doubt that the project will work in Kwara State as Lagos and Edo states had already keyed into it with resounding results. So, it is highly welcome for Kwara State to join now. This is a big history in the lives of our children. We are looking forward and expecting that the partners will not fail the state." To the Chairman of the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Abdullahi Umar, the state government has taken the right steps through the introduction of KwaraLEARN programme to revive the ailing education sector. “Governor AbdulRazaq is a visionary governor as far as the education sector is concerned. This is because he has started in the right direction having paid the counterpart funds for UBEC. And today, he has signed the MoU on KwaraLEARN initiative to aid teaching and learning across the state. Having ensured massive infrastructure in our schools, the next thing to move education forward is to empower our teachers to pass relevant knowledge effectively to our pupils. With what I have seen today and those we want to partner with, I give kudos to the governor. You have been taking good care of teachers and we believe more will come our way.” Meanwhile, a don at the Uni versity of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Dr. Oba Abdulkadir La’aro, described the idea of
Kwara- LEARN initiative as laudable, saying the programme would further equip teachers with upto- date skills in technology competence necessary for the 21st Century education delivery. He stressed that in introducing technology, there is the enduring issue of access in both availability and affordability across the socio-economic class. According to him, introduction of Technology into the educational system would always have to contend with cultural factors. The state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, however, described the programme as a “thoughtful and innovative idea” of the present administration to change the teaching method to that of the 21st century digital learning in Kwara. To her, the introduction of the new technology to the schools would complement the earlier investments in infrastructural development in schools, the transparent and competitive deployment of exceptional teachers to classrooms and training and re-training of teachers. Also, on his part, the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, said that the vision of the state government was to improve primary school outcomes through KwaraLEARN by transforming learning in all classrooms and ensuring every child has access to high-quality and well-supported teachers.
AbdulRazaq introduces KwaraLEARN to revolutionise basic education
3rd November 2021 Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Wednesday signed an MOU introducing KwaraLEARN, the administration’s flagship public education transformation programme designed to improve learning outcomes for primary school pupils across the state. The Governor called the initiative lifetime investments to empower teachers and give public school pupils the best shot at 21st-century education with reverberating effects on the future of the state. "The KwaraLEARN programme will empower our teachers with the right digital tools to be at their best while providing an electronic platform to make classrooms and schools transparent. The technology will monitor attendance and performance
of pupils and teachers in all classrooms, offering continual support and feedback,” AbdulRazaq said at the signing of the MOU with the government’s technical partners, New Globe, in Ilorin.
“This is our flagship education programme. It will transform all government primary schools using innovative technology, data-driven platforms, high-quality learning materials, effective training and ongoing coaching and support for teachers and school leaders." “Our technical partners — NewGlobe — are trusted to drive this programme to success. They have done it in Edo and Lagos, and we trust them to do a lot more to partner with other stakeholders towards returning basic education to the dream of our founding fathers.
“KwaraLEARN represents our vision for a stronger Kwara. It is set to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes for public school children across the state. It will accelerate the numeracy and literacy skills of our pupils, enabling them to compete with their peers anywhere in the world. This is because we believe that the path to prosperity is through the education of the Kwara child. Education underpins economic growth, stability, and sustainable development. “Kwara Learn will deploy 21st century technology to support teachers and schools. It will enable our children to fulfil their potentials and offer them and the state a brighter future. KwaraLEARN will empower our teachers to become highly skilled through training and motivation to succeed at their job.”
The MOU signing was attended by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi; Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu; House members; cabinet members; PTA Chairman in Kwara State Makama of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Oniye; NUT Chairman Abdullahi Umar; ANCOPSS President Toyin Abdullahi; Chairman of SUBEB Prof Shehu Raheem Adaramaja; TESCOM Chairman Bello Abubakar; top bureaucrats; among others. Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu said: “This is a thoughtful and innovative idea of the present administration to change the teaching method to a modern 21st century digital learning in Kwara. “The introduction of the new technology to the schools will definitely complement the earlier investments in infrastructural development in our schools, the transparent and competitive recruitment of exceptional teachers to our classrooms and training and retraining of teachers. “The service provider will carry out intensive training of the teachers who are the end-users of the devices and would support continuous monitoring of the exercise for a period of four years. Meanwhile, the whole exercise will not attract any cost to the teachers and will also provide employment opportunity for Kwarans.”
Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) chairman Professor Shehu Raheem Adaramaja said the vision of the Government is to improve primary school outcomes through KwaraLEARN by transforming learning in all classrooms and ensuring every child has access to highquality and well-supported teachers.
The vision of the Governor is for a strong and prosperous Kwara. Investing in the education of our children is our most important priority. It is our belief that KwaraLEARN will empower and strengthen our teachers and prepare our children with the necessary skills to excel in future workplaces that require intuition, creativity and critical thinking,” Director of Policy and Partnership New Globe Dr Wuraola Kumbi commended the vision of Governor AbdulRazaq for the education sector. “I sincerely like to commend and celebrate His Excellency for his vision in the education sector. We have followed closely all the laudable projects in accessing UBEC funds for infrastructural development and teachers training, the passage and signing into law of Education Trust Bill, the education summit and so many things to put Kwara education on the map of not only in Nigeria but across the world,” she said.
Group Managing Director Nigeria of the New Globe Mrs Omowale DavidAshiru added: “This programme is about empowerment of teachers. It is about pupils but the conduit in learning outcome is the teachers. “When the teacher is not present a child cannot learn. So, this programme really focuses on empowering our teachers about the contents, the tools and confidence they need to do what they love to do and have been trained to do. Kwara Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Makama of Ilorin Ibrahim Oniye appreciated the Governor for the innovative idea and assured him that the association is 100% in support of the initiative for the progress and development of the state’s education sector. The ANCOPPS President attributed the successes in the education sector so far to the appointment of competent officials to drive the state education sector. Umar, NUT Chairman, said the state government is taking the right steps in reviving the education sector by accessing UBEC funds and empowerment of teachers to give their best to the students, describing AbdulRazaq as a visionary governor. The programme will begin across Kwara’s primary schools in the first quarter of 2022.
A look at education transformation milestones in Kwara State
A Kwara State Government Initiative