Bayelsa State Commissioner for Education Dr. Gentle Emelah has called on parents and guardians to take advantage of the improved quality of education in state-owned primary schools across the state.
The commissioner who spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing Education World Forum(EWF) in London noted that BayelsaPRIME, the basic education reform programme of the Senator Douye Diri-led administration, is systematically improving the quality of education across state-owned schools.
He therefore urged parents to take full advantage of the reforms by enrolling their children to enable them benefit.
“You cannot keep doing the same thing all the time if it is not giving you the required outcome. If you do, you will fall behind. That calls for reform, which is what the state and people have embarked on – basic education reform from Primary 1 to 6. We are giving children confidence and opportunity to learn speedily,” Dr. Emelah said.
BayelsaPRIME (Bayelsa Promoting Reform to Improve and Modernise Education) was launched by the Bayelsa State Government to address the challenges in the state’s basic education sector.
The reform is tackling key challenges including teacher absenteeism, poor quality of teaching in schools, the learning curriculum, as well as the quality and availability of instructional materials.
Since inception, 2,000 teachers have been retrained and who continue to receive in-class mentorship from school supervisors on a weekly basis.
Teachers and headteachers in 222 schools have been equipped with technology that promote teacher presence in classrooms and ensures quality instructional materials are available.
Key changes in classroom management have been instituted, making it easier for teachers and pupils to work together to achieve better learning outcomes.
“There is preliminary evidence that BayelsaPRIME is having a good impact on our schools. We can now monitor what is going on in schools more efficiently using the technology available to us. Through my interaction with the children I can tell that there is a change in their attitude to learning. They are bolder and can interact more freely and better.”
The commissioner noted that he was impressed with the state of teaching and learning in the schools he visited recently.
