Ilorin — Kwara State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi has expressed optimism about the success of various reforms, which the state introduced to enhance the performance of its students, especially in external examinations.

He said government was poised to change the attitude of candidates towards examinations to improve their output at the end of these examinations.

The poor performance recorded across the country in the last Senior School Certificate Examination conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) led stakeholders in the sector to re-strategise on ways to improve the standard of education in the country.

Kwara State was not an exception, as the state was said to have scored six percent in the two examinations. To forestall future occurrence, the state government introduced some reforms to improve the fortunes of the sector.

Prominent among such reforms were the payment of teachers salaries and allowances as at when due; organising workshops and special training for teachers; building of modern classrooms to make learning conducive; purchase and distribution of textbooks in core subjects to students free of charge across the state, as well as the introduction of the programme, 'Every Child Counts' to improve on the performance of pupils right from the preparatory class to the secondary school level in the state.

The state also introduced a mock examination for students in senior secondary schools. It required them to sit for an examination from Senior Secondary Two (SS2) and ensure that they passed at credit level before they could be promoted to SS3. During this exercise, about 5,000 students that did not pass at the credit level were not promoted to SSS 3 in the state.

The state government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has recently introduced 'Project 2010'. In doing this, 40 schools out of the 237 schools in the state were selected to serve as a test case on the issue of improving performance of students in WAEC and NECO examinations in the state.

To achieve results in the exercise, about 100 teachers have been trained by the state to teach the students and equip them with the methods of answering questions, in line with the marking scheme of WAEC and NECO. The already trained teachers were selected from the 40 schools where the project would commence.

The teachers were expected to go back to their schools and train other teachers who did not have the opportunity to attend the training programme, as well as to support and assist in the realisation of the project.

Preparations for the full take-off of the project against 2010 WAEC and NECO examinations in schools across the state have already commenced. According to Abdullahi, the state government has made adequate arrangement for the implementation of the project and the concerned schools have been contacted and fully mobilised for the project.

He said parents who are major stakeholders in the affairs of their children have been informed and a meeting was arranged with the

Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to acquaint them with the need to contribute to the educational development of their children by allowing them to spend extra time in schools to attend coaching for the examinations.

He stressed that, schools have been advised to use holiday periods to prepare students for the task ahead to enable them excel in the next WAEC and NECO examinations. Upon resumption he said, the extra mural classes would continue until the examinations are finally written.

He therefore advised the students and teachers to take the project serious as the government would not hesitate to sanction anyone found wanting in the discharge of duties towards the achievement of the goals of the project.

On the success of the project he said: "Since the government was able to wipe out examination malpractices across the state, this project on the improvement of the good performances will surely succeed."

"Without mincing words, if this project is fully undertaken with seriousness among the stakeholders involved, the desire and the commitment of the state government to change the percentage of results from six percent to over 40 percent will be achieved. It will also improve the enrolment of students of the state in higher institutions, be it university or polytechnic in the country", Abdullahi said.

A visit to some of the schools earmarked for the project showed that they were fully ready for the project. The SS3 students had been informed to come for the extra-mural held during the Christmas/New year holiday, which ends this week in order to equip them for the task ahead - the forthcoming WAEC and NECO examinations.

At the Government Secondary School, Ilorin, the Principal, Alhaji Muideen Muhammed told THISDAY that the 2010 project was a welcome one and that the school management was in support of it.

He said some of his teachers were among the 100 trained for the programme and that they had met with parents of the students on the need for them to support the state government's education reform initiative.

Muhammed added that they had made adequate provisions to ensure that parents were enlightened on the 2010 project adding that the school would register 132 students for the WAEC and NECO SSCE.

He also disclosed that the students are expected to pay some fees to accommodate charges not paid by the state government as he called on the parent to see the 2010 project as their own, by allowing their children to stay for the extra classes.

In his own submission, Principal of Cherubim and Seraphim College, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin, Mrs. Elizabeth Olusola Korode commended the state government for embarking on the project, saying, "the 2010 project will definitely improve the standard of education in the state, especially during the WAEC and NECO examinations."

She said her school used to engage students in a programme known as Student Improvement Programme (SIP), which was closely related to the 2010 project, adding that the project would not be difficult for them to execute because they were already into it. Korode said the training of teachers that were expected to execute the project would assist both the teachers and students, adding that they had started training other teachers.

"The students have been prepared for 2010 project, so that they can focus their minds on the challenges that will come their ways before they can succeed in 2010 WAEC and NECO examinations."

She disclosed that some students who repeated SS2 have no choice than to repeat same class as a result of their poor performance, saying that repeating the class is a challenge for them to get serious in their academic activities.

One of the students that repeated SS2 told THISDAY that the introduction of the project would assist her to be fully prepared for the next examination.

Another SS3 student, Bilikis Bello expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the state government and the ministry to raise the standard of education in the state.

"Kwara State is the only state that took the bull by the horn and invested in the education sector to prepare students for WAEC and NECO examinations, who in turn are expected to come out in flying colours", she said.