Kwara State Education Programme, KwaraLEARN was showcased by NewGlobe Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #28).

The Nigerian Economic Summit attracted national and global policymakers, business leaders, development partners, civil society leaders and scholars to articulate the development imperatives that satisfy the need for economic security and sustainability, social justice, conscientious governance, political stability and environmental sustainability.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and other ministers as well as members of the private sector were participants at the summit.

Group Managing Director NewGlobe, Omowale David-Ashiru, who was a panelist on the interactive session tagged: “Eradicating Learning Deprivation” alongside Ms Cristian Munduate UNICEF Country Representative, Mrs. Maryam Uwais (MFR), Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Ms Abisola Obasanya Director Arc Lights Foundation and Dr. Hamid Bobboyi Executive Secretary Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), discussed solving Nigeria’s learning deprived children rate of 70% according to UNICEF.

Omowale said: “That learning deprivation or learning poverty is a global problem exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic in African countries like Nigeria where the combination of out-of-school children and the poor rate of learning for those in school gravely threaten the potential of future economic growth and social development.”

She went further to discuss potential solutions citing the June 2022 report by the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF FCDO, which shed light on proven solutions, prescribing focus areas for progress.

It stressed the existence of solutions that can work at scale and within existing government systems to improve learning outcomes. It states that commitment to learning programs by governments and the composition of the programs: with emphasis on teacher training, improved instruction through structured pedagogy and measurement of learning outcomes.

According to Omowale: “There are existing examples of a holistic methodology already delivering value for Nigerian children in Edo, Lagos and Kwara States.

“There are three distinct examples in Nigeria running statewide intricate public-school systems built upon four core aspects: A digital learning platform, adaptive instructional content, teacher training and coaching, and 360-degree support. Within this holistic system are many sets of practices, such as school management, learning and development, instructional guidance, and feedback. Schools in this system are being transformed using technology and data, every school is transparent and accessible to its political leaders; decisions and policies are data-based and children are learning at a speed not seen before in Nigeria.

“This holistic learning methodology was the subject of a 2-year study led by 2019 Nobel Prize winning professor Michael Kremer. The Kremer Study finds that NewGlobe methods deliver unequivocal major learning gains across every academic year in NewGlobe-supported schools, compared with other schools. These are particularly large in the “key grades” for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), primary classes One and Two. Kremer and his co-authors found that students in early childhood years supported by NewGlobe received the equivalent of an additional year and a half of learning in two years.

“Political leaders across the continent are coming to learn from Nigeria’s systems and then implementing them in their own countries. These examples are Edo State through the EdoBEST program covering > 1000 nursery, primary and Junior Secondary schools, Lagos State through the EKOEXCEL program covering >1000 Nursery and primary schools and most recently Kwara State through the KwaraLEARN program covering more than >1500 public schools at the full implementation of the program.

“The most recent which started this year, KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is a core new education programme by the Government of Kwara State to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes in public schools for all children across Kwara State.”

Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said: “Getting education right from the foundation would support the state government’s achievements in infrastructural development, agriculture, technology and social services, as well as open up new vistas of opportunities that will promote common good”. He further said, our flagship education programme takes the baton from pre-existing transformation programmes in Lagos and Edo states, both of which are local solutions already delivering value. We have understudied and have now made it fit for our own system here in Kwara State.”

Omowale shared Kremer study learnings indicating Nigeria must invest beyond infrastructure alone, but also into foundational literacy and numeracy at basic education levels to eradicate learning poverty in Nigeria.

Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, Chief of Staff to the President while closing the summit commended participants and endorsed the outcomes of the summit which include the need for restoration, increased funding, standardization and innovation in public education as a means to delivering economic stability for growth. This outcome among others will be contained in the NES28 “Green Book” a compendium of summit recommendations which will be disseminated to Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as other critical stakeholders to enable the implementation.