Bayelsa State public primary schools are on the path of sustainability because of the BayelsaPRIME basic education reform programme, the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah has said.
He made the disclosure in a radio interview where he espoused the developmental strides of the Senator Douye Diri led administration across various arms of the education sector.
Speaking about BayelsaPRIME, Dr. Emelah noted that “If you want to build a house, you have to dig deep and make sure the foundation is solid. Similarly, we’re repositioning education at the primary school level to ensure a strong educational foundation.”
BayelsaPRIME, which is an acronym for Bayelsa Promoting Reform and Innovation in Education, was introduced into 222 public primary schools in February 2023 to drastically improve teaching and learning.
Beginning with the training of over 2,000 teachers drawn from four local government areas, the programme has since inception improved school administration, enhanced the use of data in decision making, enhanced quality control and the adoption of technology in public primary schools. Over 48,000 children currently benefit from the programme which is geared at expanding to over 52,000 children in the next few months.
Dr. Emelah disclosed that through BayelsaPRIME, basic education sector regulators and managers are able to monitor activities of teachers and pupils in schools remotely using technology and ensure that teachers are carrying out their responsibilities.
“An interesting thing is that we can monitor the delivery of lessons. Yes. For the teacher, you were in school? Were you able to teach the things that you are meant to teach? Did you cover the content? We know all of these things from the backend (technology).
“So, BayelsaPRIME has made the management of education more interesting. And I must commend His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri for this innovation in basic education,” he added.
While further underscoring the advantages of the programme, the Commissioner disclosed that since the introduction of BaylesaPRIME, there has been a marked improvement in enrolment in public primary schools.
“I can tell you that today there has been an increase in enrollment at the primary schools, more parents want to bring their children to primary schools,” he said.
Bayelsa State public primary schools are scheduled to commence active teaching and learning on 28, August 2023.
