Group begins assessment of rural education in Kwara

A not-for-profit organisation, Saving African Youths Dream Initiative (SAYDI), has commenced its Rural Education Needs Assessment Project (RENAP) in the five local government areas in Kwara North, Kwara State, as a response to the educational deficit in the part of the state.

SAYDI said this is in recognition of the many children in Kwara North that do not have access to quality education, adding that it has taken deep interest in tackling the educational deficit through its RENAP activities.

The Executive Director of the Initiative, Mr. Abdulkareem O. Abdullateef, said it is a “well-thought-out project aimed at encouraging the government, the private sector and various collaborating agencies to promote the development of education in rural communities.”

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“In the past 15 years, no school in Kwara North is well equipped with computers, laboratory equipment and functional libraries with books.”

Speaking about the educational deficit in Kwara North, Mr. Abdullateef m said, “Schools in urban areas enjoy immense development in different areas of education, but across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kwara North, a vast infrastructural deficit is evident in many public schools.

“Many of the public primary and secondary schools have become decrepit and unfit for learning due to inhabitable structures, and shortage of teachers.”

In his report about the progress of RENAP, Mr. Abdullateef revealed that the Initiative was at the stage of analysing the data collected about the state of education in Kwara North and would present its findings to key stakeholders.

He said, “Presently, we are in the phase of analysing the data we collated, and we intend to present our findings and propose everlasting solutions to the Kwara State Universal Basic Education SUBEB, Ministry of Education, and Kwara Learn in a press briefing in the next few weeks.”

Citing the need for government’s intervention in SAYDI’s developmental projects such as RENAP, Mr. Abdulkareem emphasized that “governments play a critical role in providing educational policies, funding, and infrastructure in rural areas.”

“We are pursuing this project for governments to help ensure the implementation of educational policies and reforms, as well as increase investment in rural education based on our documentations and proposed designed solutions.

“Also, we are pursuing a clear need for a revamp in rural education in Kwara State and most precisely Kwara North which envelops five Local Government Areas in Kwara,” he said.

RENAP is in partnership with Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre –an organization that calls for good governance, transparency, accountability, sustainable development and environmental justice.

The Saving African Youths Dream Initiative (SAYDI) is an organization that enhances effective and efficient education, promotes democratic governance, gender inclusion, and social justice.

The Initiative also advocates support for disabled children, girl children, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups.