Alawiye-King: Accolades for advocate of transformational education through EKOEXCEL

By YEWANDE THORPE

Come July 21, Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Honourable Wahab Alawiye-King, will receive the ‘Most Innovative EduTech Personality of the Year Award’ at the 19th annual Titans of Tech Awards.

The award will be the latest honour for the former politician turned enterprising educationist who has fully embraced technology and innovation in improving the quality of primary education in Lagos.

There has been no looking back for the former two-term Lagos State House of Assembly member since assuming the SUBEB chairmanship in September 2019. He has relentlessly advocated technology to transform primary education and improve learning and teaching in Lagos schools. And the results speak for themselves. 

The State’s Eko Excellence in Child Education and Learning (EKOEXCEL) has become a game changer with reputable organisations, both local and international, acknowledging its impacts. Parents, too, have attested to its efficacy and the marked improvements in their children’s performance since its launch. 

Alawiye-King, who has oversight over the initiative, also launched in 2019 and operated in conjunction with its technical partner, NewGlobe, has poured his soul into its success. SUBEB and NewGlobe regularly refit and retool the initiative for maximum impact, refusing to rest on their oars.

EKOEXCEL has recorded tangible gains among teachers and pupils, leading to improved learning outcomes for pupils and more professional teachers. Over 14,000 teachers from 1,013 public primary schools have been captured under the scheme. It has also enhanced the teacher-pupil interaction experience through technology (eLearning) in Lagos State primary schools. 

EKOEXCEL has also significantly increased pupils’ learning outcomes and drastically reduced the number of out-of-school children in the state by enrolling them in schools through the ‘Leave No Child Behind’ policy. 

There is high optimism that primary 6 pupils under the EKOEXCEL programme will perform excellently at the just concluded 2023 National Common Entrance Exams (NCEE), aiming to emulate last year’s performances by the top three Lagos State public primary school pupils who scored 198, 197 and 196 respectively over 210.

In April, EKOEXCEL launched a Situation Room to enable officials to monitor real-time data to increase learning gains and improve teaching methods. Apart from enhancing transparency by allowing officials to see what is happening in every classroom and school in real-time, the Situation Room also boosts the digital tracking of attendance, the percentage of lessons delivered daily, pupil assessment data and quality assurance data via real-time dashboard and timely reports.

Commenting at the launch, Alawiye-King affirmed, “Transforming the basic education sector is crucial, and with the introduction of the digital device, we can monitor what is happening in our schools in real-time. This is very good for us at this time. Technology is used globally to monitor and track classroom achievements, and Lagos should not be a difference. That is why we have introduced this.”

Last May, EKOEXCEL’s Situation Room was featured at the 2023 Education World Forum in London, United Kingdom, where Alwaiye-King and other Education ministers from 118 countries gathered to address how to build resilience among people, organisations and systems for learning and education. 

EKOEXCEL’s feature at the 2023 EWF was significant because it further positioned Lagos state as an African leader in public education transformation with its data-driven methodology which aligns with UNESCOs views on data collection which states that, “A common obstacle preventing the alignment of a vision with a realistic target is the lack of regularly collected data of good quality on learning outcomes”.

Speaking during an interview at the EWF, Alawiye-king said that “Education World Forum is a platform where we can share our responsibilities and visions as education leaders and come together to forge the way ahead. We are trying to use this platform to improve the basic education sector and the education sector in general. We have spoken to so many experts about access, opportunity and equity, all of them are areas that have to be improved globally.”

“It is very pleasing to see a replica version of the EKOEXCEL Situation Room here at the Education World Forum”.

Instructively, Alawiye-King’s efforts with EKOEXCEL have not gone unnoticed. Last month, he won the inaugural Award of Excellence in Educational Reforms instituted by Lagos Monitoring Team, an online media platform.

The platform’s Editor, Tunde Opeseitan, explained that he got the honour because of his outstanding performance as LASUBEB boss and reforms to reposition primary education in the state.

Opeseitan said: “Since you emerged as Chairman of LASUBEB, we have observed your passion and tireless commitment towards ensuring that pupils in our schools receive the best education possible. It is safe to conclude that you have a knack for excellent service delivery, and you have embarked on novel initiatives that have redefined primary education in Lagos and across the country.

“The EKO Excellence in Child Education and Learning programme, popularly known as EKOEXCEL, which is under your supervision, has continued to earn Lagos State global and local accolades for fostering a 21st Century education that is child-centred and enabled by modern practices and technology.”

Opeseitan added that LASUBEB, under Alawiye-King’s leadership, has implemented various people-oriented initiatives that have contributed towards ensuring access to quality education for all, as well as improving significantly on the welfare of teachers and other stakeholders within the primary education ecosystem.

In his response, Alawiye-King reiterated his commitment to using education as a change tool. “For us, education is a powerful tool that can be used to change the world. We believe access, equity, and most importantly, quality are some of the things you need to improve primary education in Nigeria, and that is what we have been doing,” he said.

Alawiye-King’s passion for transformational primary education will be further recognised on July 21 at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, where he has been nominated for ‘Most Innovative EduTech Personality of the Year Award’ and where EKOEXCEL has also been nominated for ‘Best Government Designed Edutech Platform of the Year’ prize.

Explaining Alawiye-King’s selection for the award, Don Pedro Aganbi, Managing Partner, Tech Global Network, which organises the award, said it was for his passionate commitment to education growth.

“It is in recognition of your unparalleled contributions, commitment and dedication to the growth of the nation’s educational sector and using the same to advance the Nigerian nation. When the story of education for national development is written, Hon Alawiye-King will feature prominently as a “poster face” if for nothing else but the sheer volume and variety of Innovations that you have successfully deployed, implemented and continue to support to promote and deepen education,” he said. 

Aganbi added: “The revolutionary status of education in Lagos today is the sum of efforts of Innovators, visionaries and leaders like yourself. Specifically, you have brought resoluteness, strategic broad-based vision and panache to the office of the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board LASUBEB. Under your leadership, LASUBEB is now deliberately focused on promoting access to universal basic education for every child and ensuring that any child of school age attends school – which undoubtedly underscores your understanding of not just of global Education trend but also of the significance of the impact the Lagos Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education would have on the economy at large.”

Considering his tenacious nature and passion, the Titan of Tech Awards will likely not be Alawiye-King’s last honour this year.

Thorpe, an education consultant, writes from Lagos.