The Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC is not resting on its exploits at ensuring teaching and learning in basic education of both major and specialised areas takes place among many other avenues across the 36 states including the FCT, with the dire need that led to the introduction of “Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education” (SMASE) and Jolly Phonics five years down the line under the management of Dr Hamid Bobboyi as the Executive Secretary, during his first term in office in 2018.
The idea was to inculcate and improve quality of learning, improve the capacity of the in-service teachers visa vis teaching and learning of literacy , numeracy, and science for improved learning in basic education across the country.
To consolidate the process of an enhanced programs, concerted efforts was designed by the leadership of the commission with huge financial investment not only to ascertain their benefits, but ensured that learning outcomes designed towards the new basic policy had taken place in that area.
Conversely, the commission in accordance with it’s mandate embarked on wholistic impact assessment in basic Education learners across the country, with carefully selected schools numbering about 540 basic Education learners , with 54 teachers in each of the 216 selected schools in Nigeria.
As part of it’s statutory obligations and feedback mechanism geared towards improvement, amendment and needful adjustments of programs been implemented in UBEC, the usual assessment using some states as pilot scheme to unravel the efficacy and the need to reinvigorate, rejig policies and programs was carried out.
This consisted states in the six geopolitical zones consisting of about 11 states across the country with Akwa ibom, Anambara, Bauchi, Delta, Imo , Kano and Kwara states.
Others are Osun, Ondo, Sokoto, and Taraba states making the list of states that attracted assessors and indepth assessment to determine the learning outcomes in basic schools and Education.
With high priority by the commission and it’s desire for continuity, the need to determine the level of assimilation of basic education managers of the new areas of impacting more knowledge on the pupils, and transfer of knowledge acquired from the new area of SMASE and Jolly Phonics approaches, that will instill basic orientation and reorientation of basic Education, through learning and teaching.
The general review was not only narrowed down to the managers , but also analyse the immediate, long term benefits of the new approaches and it’s application in the classroom for teaching and learning to take place.
The commission as part of it’s policy framework review the pros and cons of the two special areas, particularly the strength and weaknesses of the new order of teaching and learning, implementation and challenges there of, so as to create room for improvement, inventions and innovations.
Aside reviewing the approaches, the need to know whether the intentions of the program initiators geared towards improving the quality of learning and teaching using numeracy, literacy and science to achieve learning had taken place in basic education.
The review, assessment and enumeration will form a policy document that will on the long run be translated to a working documents, as the reports will not only serve as a guide to improve the quality of teaching and learning SMASE and Jolly Phonics, but design a curriculum that will solidify the new areas.
With the new approaches adopted by Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC, in basic education trainers and learner’s as part of it’s wider innovations, the age long apathy and innate discouraging tendencies towards the core areas of Mathematics , Science Education and learning of literacy and numeracy legendary from the initial stage of basic education, will be addressed permanently.
Having resolved basic education process of inculcating the new areas, no doubt the specialised programs will not only revert to the negative trend and improvement of the basic knowledge, but created a permanent positive development in SMASE and Jolly Phonics approaches.
Yusuf Is A Public Affairs Analyst, Writes from Abuja and can be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
