Pupils of Lagos State Public Primary schools have concluded their first-term examinations and commenced their vacation; they will be welcomed back to school for a new term on the 9th of January, 2023.
EKOEXCEL, an innovative digital initiative through the years, has been a driving force of change in the Lagos State Basic education sector.
It has transformed ECCDE and Primary education in all Lagos State government schools, bringing 21st Century education that is child-centred and enabled by modern practices and technology.
The overall results for term 1 were remarkable; especially for female pupils who accounted for 49.19% of total registered pupils for term 1.
EKOEXCEL has continually ensured that no child is left behind in Lagos by conducting constant assessments throughout the term, intense revisions, and mock examinations.
A review of term 1 using EKOEXCEL’s data generating system, Spotlight, an application that empowers headteachers and government leaders with the ability to track attendance and performance; see which lessons are working and how both teachers and children are doing, accessible via laptops, smartphones or tablets, indicated that an average of 97% of head teachers were present through the term and an average 91% continuing pupils for the just concluded term.
One of the high points of term 1 was the tremendous achievements of three pupils under the EKOEXCEL programme representing Lagos State at the 25th annual JETS Competition, where John Daniel from St. Francis Primary School, Maryland, came second in the quiz competition, while two girls, Unique Emmanuel and Sarah Adeyemi of Monsuru Agoro Primary School, Mafoluku, took the third position in the project competition.
Speaking on the conclusion of term 1, LASUBEB Chair, Wahab Alawiye-King, commended the pupils for their desire and eagerness to learn and improve on their previous performances, which was evident in their overall results.
He also applauded the teachers for their steadfast commitment to ensuring that the quality of education in Lagos public primary schools meet and even exceeds the expected standards.
Alawiye-King went on to wish all pupils and teachers a merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance as well as preparing for next term to keep up the good performances.
Catching up with pupils after their examinations, most felt very good about their work, they did not feel out of place or confused because of how much they have been propped for success.
Ahmed Lawal, the head boy of Lagos State Model Nursery & Primary school, Lekki, said he loves the way he is taught and the extracurricular activities that EKOEXCEL brings.
During the holidays he plans to study and visit his aunt. He boldly mentions that he was chosen as the head boy because of his brilliance and unmatchable leadership skills.
Similarly, Victoria Ogowe, another primary 6 pupil and the health prefect of Lagos State Model Nursery and Primary School, Lekki said “I was chosen as the health prefect because of my brilliance and extensive knowledge of health, I also provide activities to my peers about healthy things”.
She also stated that she like EKOEXCEL because they give us a schedule to learn more things in Primary 6, they also give us more maths skills so that we are able to take it in and give it to others in younger classes; we are also given enough time to do our classwork.
During the holidays she plans to attend programming classes, pay a visit to her uncle, and study her term 2 schedules so she can learn more when she returns to school.
Memuna Adamu, the head girl of the same school exclaims that she likes the introduction of the EKOEXCEL programme because they are given enough time to complete assigned tasks, they are taught more about English and the numerous skills she learns from the programme.
In the same breath, she says she loves the learning environment and her headteacher. During the holidays she will travel to see distant relatives and plans to make the most of it by sightseeing in new places.A statewide Parent-Teacher Conference was also held on the 16th of December 2022 filled with excited parents who are looking forward to improved performances from their children in the next term.
Since its launch, EKOEXCEL has upskilled over 90% of Lagos State Government’s head teachers and teachers from analogue to digital teaching, using tablets and updated curricula.
It has also captured over 14,000 teachers from 1,012 public primary schools and enhanced the teacher-pupil interaction experience through technology (eLearning) in Lagos State primary schools.The efficacy of EKOEXCEL’s methodology was evident at the recent 2022 National Common Entrance Examinations, with a pupil of Lagos state pupil primary schools scoring 198, just 5 points behind the overall national best, who scored 201 out of 210.
A total number of seventy-one thousand, seven hundred and thirty-eight (71,738) pupils registered for the exams. A study of the impact revealed that pupils advanced in numeracy twice as fast and in literacy three times as fast as their peers in traditional schools.
The EKOEXCEL programme was also awarded for its evidence-based impact in just 3 years at the 2022 Titans of Tech Awards, for Best Innovative Digital Learning platform of the year.
This article appeared originally on Daily Independent, Dec 21, 2022.
