KwaraLEARN: Data-driven education transformation

As a critical part of the kick-off for KwaraLEARN, the newly launched education transformation programme by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, the Implementation Team will commence inspection visits to schools in the week starting January 17 2022 to gather necessary data and information on the current situation in the schools to ensure that the KwaraLEARN program delivers measurable optimum results.

The visit to secondary schools in Baruten, Offa, Ilorin East and Ilorin West local governments is to gather preliminary academic data that would guide the creation of informed academic plans and quality instructional materials for the program.

During this exercise, the Kwara State Implementation Team for KwaraLEARN would visit nothing less than 30 schools in the four local governments to obtain initial data on pupil and teacher performance and other school-level data to aid school operations planning and curriculum development.

Specifically, the pupil performance data will inform vital decisions such as levelling for foundational literacy and numeracy whilst also guiding instructional design decisions around textbook selection and rigour of content and instruction in teacher guides.

On the other hand, teacher performance data will guide important decisions around training and instructional design.

Commenting on the exercise, the 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 data-driven for optimum results.

She said, “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.

“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.”

KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is a public education transformation programme that would 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.

The initiative, whose Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the Governor signed in November 2021, affirms his commitment to academic excellence and the positioning of Kwara State for sustainable development in the 21st century.

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.

Apart from accelerating students’ literacy and numeracy, the programme, which will run till 2025, will also lead to better classroom culture and more robust curriculum management.

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