The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 578 (August 24 - September 6 2022)

Page10 TheTrumpet AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6 2022
Education
Nobel Prize-Winning expert cites
Bridge Academies’ system as a
solution to Learning Poverty
The World Bank defines learning
poverty as the state where students
are unable to read and understand
simple text by age 10. They revealed that
53% of children in low- and middleincome
countries suffer from learning
poverty because they cannot read and
understand a simple story by the end of
primary school. In the Sub-Saharan Africa
region, learning poverty incidences are
alarmingly high, with rates ranging
between 80% and 90%. Since reading is
one of the fundamental skills necessary for
learning, the lack of ability to read will
limit young children’s opportunities
because they will not be able to progress
in areas such as mathematics, science, and
humanities.
The lack of security in schools has also
contributed to why the majority of children
in the African region are unable to go to
school and learn. This is why Ibironke
Adeagbo aims to stabilise and strengthen
the security of schools in Nigeria by
partnering with a security company to
reduce the number of ‘out-of-school’
children in the community. With this, more
children will be able to learn and grow in
a secure environment. However, learning
poverty may also indicate that school
systems aren’t well organised to facilitate
effective learning.
How can Standardisation address
Learning Poverty?
In a ground-breaking study by Nobel
prize-winner Professor Michael Kremer,
along with his colleagues, into the teaching
methodologies of Bridge Academies, they
found that learning gains are much higher
among students when education is
standardised. Their research data showed
that primary pupils through Class 8
in Bridge International Academies
Kenya gained almost an additional year of
learning under the school’s integrated
methodology compared to traditional
schools. Instead of studying the same
lessons for their year level in three years,
students in the academy only took two
years of studying.
For pre-primary pupils, the learning
gains were even bigger. Students in Bridge
International Academies gained almost an
additional year and a half of learning since
they learned in two years what students in
other schools learn in three and a half
years. Moreover, 82% of Grade 1 pupils in
Bridge Academies schools were already
able to read a sentence. This is a huge
difference from the 27% of children who
can read in the same grade level from other
schools.
To achieve this, Bridge International
Academies delivers highly detailed lesson
guides and textbooks to allow teachers to
understand what they should teach and
how they should teach concepts. Apart
from standardised teaching methods, the
academy also follows a consistent format
in the construction of physical classrooms
as well as how they conduct teacher
monitoring and feedback. Since the
lessons and method of teaching are
standardised, it will ensure that all children
receive the same quality of education and
they are learning the appropriate lessons
they need for their grade level or age.
With this, Professor Kremer highly
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encourages policymakers to explore the
possibility of incorporating
standardisation, such as standardised
lesson plans and teacher feedback and
monitoring, in their systems. Through the
example set by Bridge Academies, schools
can significantly lower the high rates of
learning poverty in the continent because
students can acquire quality education in a
short time. It also provides equitable
learning opportunities for students in lowincome
communities.
Is there a universal solution?
Although Bridge Academies showed
that standardisation works, it may not
work for all cases because different
communities may require different
strategies. UNICEF shared that the
curriculum and teaching method of
schools must adjust to meet students’
learning needs, especially when schools
have just recently reopened. They
explained that instructors must reach out
to every child to keep them in school,
assess students’ learning levels regularly,
prioritise teaching the fundamentals, and
increase their efficiency of instruction.
Along with these short-term interventions,
schools must complement them with many
other reforms in teachers’ careers and
incentives, instructional methods, and
safety protocols.
* For more education and world news,
do read our other posts at Trumpet Media
Group.