A World Bank-funded programme, commissioned by the Ekiti State Government, that brought practical, career-linked STEM and digital skills into state schools and trained thousands of teachers.
Commissioned by the Ekiti State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Funded by the World Bank through the State Education Program Investment Project. Delivered by STEMRES with Northumbria University's Digital Learning Lab and NUSTEM.
Ekiti is known as Nigeria's fountain of knowledge, yet school enrolment fell from 96% in 2014 to 55% in 2019, and state schools only began teaching ICT in 2015. Teachers lacked the resources and confidence for practical, career-linked science, and young people's career aspirations were narrow.
Can an active, inclusive and career-linked approach to digital and STEM education change classroom practice and widen young people's aspirations?
Twelve pilot schools received weekly sessions for 24 weeks, and 28 more for 12 weeks. The team trained 25 STEM and Digital Ambassadors, built curriculum-linked practical activities around low-cost kits made from everyday materials, taught web design in secondary schools and ran STEM career assemblies. Teachers took part in CPD with Microsoft Nigeria and Coderina, including gender-balanced teaching, and the Ministry commissioned two studies on barriers to using technology in class.
Practical, career-linked science raised engagement. Students learned about a wider range of STEM and digital careers, and interest in engineering rose from 10% to 14% between pre- and post-programme surveys. Teachers reported more confidence with inquiry-based teaching and more awareness of gender stereotypes. Teaching in Yoruba helped learning stick in some rural schools.
Northumbria's REF 2021 impact case study reports a 30% rise in young people choosing science across partner schools, and 65% of teachers reporting better self-efficacy. When COVID-19 closed schools, the team designed a remote-teaching plan built on everyday tools such as WhatsApp and Google Forms. It reached more than 5,000 teachers and helped around 35,000 students keep learning.
Move delivery to teachers so the approach becomes part of mainstream schooling, test self-reported gains against other evidence, and adapt the model for other states.
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