Kwara state government has said that its transformative digital educational programme among primary school pupils, the KwaraLearn programme, has helped to increase pupils’ enrolment in the past year.

Speaking with journalists at the first annual performance review of the programme in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital on Thursday, the chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Professor Sheu Adaramaja, said that the KwaraLearn programme has also helped to track absentee teachers in primary schools since its commencement.

Adaramaja, who said that the enrolment of school pupils in primary schools was 117,000 before the commencement of the programme, added that it had increased by 13 per cent.

The SUBEB boss, who said that the programme, launched in April 2022, has made remarkable strides in improving primary education in the state, added that it is currently implemented in 872 primary schools across 10 local government areas.

“The programme has trained over 6,500 teachers and enrolled more than 120,000 pupils. These numbers highlight the extensive reach and impact of KwaraLEARN in enhancing educational opportunities for Kwara State’s children.

Our supervisors have devoted over 25,000 hours to providing invaluable support to schools, assisting teachers and head teachers in delivering quality instruction.

Additionally, we have distributed 1,184,915 textbooks and other learning materials to ensure that every student has access to essential resources”, he said.

The permanent secretary, ministry of Education, Kemi Adeosun, who said that the state government was resolute in expanding the education programme to the remaining six local government areas of the state, added that it envisioned the programme extending to the Junior Secondary School level in the near future.

“This expansion will ensure a seamless and continuous educational journey for our students, preparing them for the challenges and opportunities ahead”.

Also speaking, the managing director of the programme, Isiah Owolabi, said that over 7,000 teachers and head teachers had been equipped with devices and empowered with necessary tools to enhance teaching practices.

“The results from the 2022-2023 school year demonstrate the effectiveness of the KwaraLEARN programme. Pupils have shown significant improvements in fluency, with notable gains observed in both Progressive and Primary schools during the first term.

“The programme has also led to a significant decrease in the percentage of non-readers, particularly among lower and upper Primary students in Progressive schools.

“Moreover, there have been noticeable advancements in numeracy, with an increased percentage of pupils successfully solving foundational numeracy problems across multiple grade levels in both Progressive and Primary schools after two terms.

“These outcomes underscore the positive impact of KwaraLEARN in enhancing reading and numeracy skills among primary school students”.