Bayelsa State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah has rated the state’s basic education reform programme, BayelsaPRIME high as he paid working visits to selected schools in the state.
Dr. Emelah who was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Education noted that “With BayelsaPRIME, we are building a very solid foundation for our educational system. Primary education is the bedrock for every educational system and if we get it right at this point, definitely, there is no limit to what we can achieve.”
Bayelsa Promoting Reform to Improve and Modernize Education (BayelsaPRIME) is a tech-based basic education reform programme that is creatively employing modern technology, an enhanced pedagogy, high-quality learning materials and tools to deliver better learning outcomes among pupils in 222 schools spread across four local government areas.
Launched in early 2023, a first set of over 2,000 teachers were trained under the reform programme. Thus far, it has enhanced teacher attendance and accountability, bridged the gap between pupils and teachers, and made classrooms more engaging and lively for over 20,000 pupils.
Speaking at Isaac Boro Model Primary School, Yenagoa, Dr. Emelah noted that “A situation where I can be in my office and monitor what is happening in any school is obviously very laudable. We are able to see how many teachers are in school at any particular time and to know if they are teaching or not. These features make BayelsaPRIME unique. We see other states emulating us in the near future.”
Dr. Emelah expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance of teachers with the reform while thanking His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri for introducing it.
“I won’t stop thanking His Excellency for this lofty initiative of bringing BayelsaPRIME. It is quite commendable,” he noted.
The headteacher of the Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education Primary School, Ebifegha Tarikiye Favour who welcomed the commissioner to her school stated that with BayelsaPRIME, teachers are less stressed as the programme is technology based and removes the drudgery of lesson note development, replacing it with scientifically tested and proven lesson guides which are delivering value to pupils.
“Most children that were introverts have loosened up because of the kind of engagement and techniques used in the teaching and learning process,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of other children in one of the schools visited, Juanita Alabrah, a primary six pupil noted that “the difference between our classes before and now is that it is now simple to learn and we are able to understand better. The energizers, the cheers and the songs we sing in school make us happy.”
