The enrolment of pupils in public schools of Kwara State has increased by 43% in 2022, according to a data released by the education authorities in the state.
The rapid increase has been attributed to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s major investments in basic education and reform policies in the last three years, especially the KwaraLEARN programme.
KwaraLEARN which currently operates in four local government areas in its Phase 1 has revved up the enrolment of pupils in public schools.
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The local government areas include Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Baruten and Offa.
Parents and guardians in the state now have confidence in public schools, as they withdraw their children from private schools to public schools in Kwara.
Governor AbdulRazaq had in 2019 when he assumed office paid the outstanding debt of the diverted UBEC funds and the years-long backlogs running into billions of naira, qualifying the state to get educational grant from the federal agency.
Under the Governor, more than 600 public schools have been renovated and given facelift out of the over 2000 estimated to be in decrepit conditions across the state.
The Governor has also prioritised the payment of teachers’ salary and their welfare packages, unlike in the past where they were owed several years of salary. This move has ensured motivation and made the job attractive.
KwaraLEARN is an initiative of Governor AbdulRazaq to make the state’s public education compete favourably with global standard.
KwaraLEARN has improved the quality of teaching instructions with the use of technology and automated solutions in government-owned schools.
Under the programme, teachers have been given gadgets to aid their teaching. The KwaraLEARN initiative has contributed to the enrolment of pupils in Kwara public schools.
Meanwhile, the government is building digital literacy centres across different schools of the state, while also investing heavily in revitalising the laboratory system by equipping school labs with quality equipment.
Governor AbdulRazaq also directed a teachers’ recruitment process that was thorough and devoid of partisan sentiments.
This has thrown up best hands to impart the pupils in public schools, as they were also trained and retrained.
The investments of Governor AbdulRazaq is yielding fruits as parents have started developing confidence in the public school system which they have long run away from.
Various stakeholders, including in the executive and legislative arms of the federal government, have at different times lauded Governor AbdulRazaq’s investments in public education, which they described as a breakaway from the past which left the sector in ruins.
