The Math Intervention Programme is one of the SEP programmes that is designed to equip both School Administrators (Heads of Schools) and Teachers of Mathematics with new skills to lead and deliver effective Math lessons.
Background: The percentage of failure in Mathematics across all levels of education in Nigeria is high. The statistics from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) shows that only 3,102 (26.06%) of over 11,000 students obtained credit pass in English and Mathematics in 2019. UNESCO also reported that more than 60% of primary school leavers lack literacy and numeracy skills. In May 2019, the Nigerian Minister of Education, Mr Adamu Adamu attributed recent failures in Mathematics to poor teaching quality. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) also decried that only 41% of teachers in the nation are qualified. Indeed, there is a dearth of competency when it comes to getting quality teachers.
The Subject Enhancement Programme (SEP) of BAF is an initiative borne out of the need to build the competencies of teachers and pupils in different subjects. Lack of competent teachers to teach certain subjects is responsible for the pupils’ low interest, poor knowledge, and performance in such subjects. This weakens the pupils’ learning foundations and maybe the beginning of a struggling academic voyage. In this project, BAF wants to develop both the cognitive and classroom delivery skills of public primary school teachers in Mathematics.
The Math Intervention Programme
The Math Intervention Programme is one of the SEP programmes that is designed to equip both School Administrators (Heads of Schools) and Teachers of Mathematics with new skills to lead and deliver effective Math lessons. 305 teachers across 75 schools in 5 Local Government Education Authority Areas of Lagos State will benefit from this project in one year. It is poised to impact over 15,000 pupils annually. If this project continues to train new teachers each year, in 5 years, over 150 teachers will be better Mathematics Professionals and over 75,000 pupils that pass through them annually will get to love mathematics, perform better in Math exams and get to excel at other subjects as well.
Beneficiaries will also be exposed to strategies to create instructional leadership and resource support to aide classroom delivery in Mathematics. The second phase of the training shall focus on the Teachers. The teachers would be taken through 8 modules that address various core areas in Mathematics and Methodologies.
Baseline and Monitoring: To further determine the impact of the intervention, each teacher would be assessed using a combination of classroom observation and Math Reasoning Inventory (MRI) to ascertain competency gaps. The classroom notes of pupils will also be checked, test written and their MRI assessment is done. These would provide a scientific basis for setting specific training targets and outcomes.
After the training, Bunmi Adedayo Foundation shall organize another set of assessments to ensure that learning has taken place and impact measured. Outstanding teachers who display both subject knowledges, pedagogy skills and leadership in peer mentoring will be rewarded at the end of the programme and also reintegrated into the BAF learning Faculty.
Scalability and Sustainability: The use of blended learning strategy to present learning in class and online places the SEP-M on its path to sustainability. A key outcome of the baseline assessment is the production of a training manual that will be used to drive learning in the classroom. In addition to this, sessions will be recorded which will later be used to support peer-to-peer learning amongst teachers at the local government level. The online courses to be taken will also enable beneficiaries to access online learning content.