Some states in Nigeria are already indicating interest in implementing Bayelsa state’s basic education reform model, the Commissioner for Education of the state, Dr. Gentle Emelah, has said.

While featuring as a special guest on a radio programme in Yenagoa recently, Emelah said: “I can tell you that some of my fellow education commissioners have been calling me, asking questions about what is happening in our state with a view of adopting our basic education reform model in their states.”

In 2023, Governor Douye Diri’s administration launched a basic education reform programme, BayelsaPRIME, to address major challenges in basic education service delivery and poor learning outcomes among children in state-owned primary schools. The ultimate goal of the reform programme was to deliver dramatic improvement in learning outcomes.

Emelah noted that since the implementation of the programme, there has been marked improvement in teaching and learning in the pilot 216 schools, located in four local councils.

He disclosed that over 41,000 pupils, 2,800 teachers and head teachers in at least 150 communities are benefiting from the reform. He said: “The programme is successfully addressing challenges with teacher truancy and absenteeism, lack of adequate learning and instructional materials, paucity of teacher professional development and poor pupil attendance and enrollment.

“So far, teacher attendance has improved from as low as 39% at the beginning of the programme to as high as 80% in many cases. Pupils’ attendance has also grown because of the aggressive monitoring we have in place.

“A measurement and evaluation exercise carried out a few months after the implementation of BayelsaPRIME showed that there is measured improvement in learning outcomes.”