At the present Education World Forum (EWF) in Britain, the United Kingdom, EKOEXCEL is showcasing its amazing progress in public primary education by incorporating new pedagogical and technical skills to manage school systems, improve learning outcomes, and increase professional competences.
Two years after the previous in-person edition in 2020, this year’s EWF, with the theme “Education: building forward together; stronger, bolder, better,” will bring together heads of state and ministers of education and skills.
Over 100 countries’ education ministers are in attendance, together with representatives from international organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), to deliberate on the ways in which technology, artificial intelligence, and expertise might be utilized to fortify education systems and economies across the globe.
It was learned that topics of discussion will also cover how nations might advance their educational systems while having a restricted budget.
EKOEXCEL is represented at the event by Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education (LASUBEB) Board, and Mrs. Taiye Oguntona, Director of Administration and Human Resources of the Board.
Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, the state commissioner for education, and Mrs. Ozavize Salami, the chair of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board, represented EKOEXCEL and its equivalent program, EdoBEST, in Edo State.
In light of the recent revelation by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regarding the subpar learning outcomes in Nigerian primary education, EKOEXCEL stated that participation in the 2022 Education World Forum (EWF) was noteworthy because Nigerian governments were searching for fresh approaches to reconstruct the educational system.
The poor budgetary allocation to education in federal and state budgets, as well as inadequate teacher training and outdated teaching methods—some of which the international UNICEF touched upon in assessments of the poor education prospects in Nigeria—are among the complaints made by “education activists,” according to a statement made available to newsmen.
Over 10 million children are estimated to be out-of-school in Nigeria, accounting for one in five of all out-of-school children worldwide.
“With Governor Sanwo-Olu’s resolve to alter the narrative and the launch of Project Zero, a public-private partnership initiative to fund education for out-of-school children and the EKOEXCEL program, there appears to be light at the end of this never-ending dark tunnel.” Since its 2019 launch, EKOEXCEL has accomplished many admirable and outstanding things.
With the use of tablets and updated curricula, almost 18,000 headteachers and teachers have transitioned from analog to digital teaching. Under the program, more than 14,000 primary school teachers from 1,011 public primary schools have been recruited. The announcement stated that the education reform initiative has made significant progress in improving the quality of teacher-student interaction in Lagos State elementary schools through the use of technology (eLearning).
The tight commitment to the curriculum and homogeneity have also benefited from the transformational intervention. The 1,011 public primary schools in Lagos have preloaded lessons and content on their tablets that can be efficiently monitored for uniformity.
Thankfully, none of the accomplishments are only the result of speculation. The EKOEXCEL 2020–2021 Endline Fluency and Numeracy Evaluation demonstrated that they are factual. When compared to their previous performance prior to the initiative’s launch, EKOEXCEL students are demonstrating impressive growth in oral reading fluency and foundational numeracy,” the statement continued.
