Emerald-Isle Foundation (EIF), a Non-governmental organization says it enhances teachers and pupils literacy skills in Kaduna Government schools under the Literacy Drive Project, where it donated furniture and other learning support materials.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Ms. Evelyn Ode, said this at the wrap-up of the Foundation’s six months Literacy Drive Project at LGEA Nassarawa 1 primary school, on Tuesday in Kaduna.
Ode, who doubles as the Team Lead for the foundation, explained that the project focused on helping children in public schools to improve their literacy skills, thereby bridging the gap to its minimum.
According to her, there is a high number of children in public schools that could not read, adding that it poses great challenge to the education sector and the nation at large.
Ode explained that the method used in improving the literally skills included training the teachers in new teaching methodologies.
She explained that they taught the students phoenix, noting that identification of letter sounds from words was a step towards reading for a child.
“At the end of this project, we have seen tremendous progress from the learners. Many of them can now read, identify letter sounds, they can also form two and three letter words,” she said.
She added that the pupils confidence level had also improved, through active participantion during classes.
Ode further explained that the learning support materials, among others which included furniture, were donated because some of the learners sit on the floor during the six months project.
“Sitting on the floor is not conducive for learning, it also affects the learning process. Good learning facilities improve outcome of the children because there is better coordination and it reduces rowdiness in a class,”she added.
One of the school teachers for the literacy drive project, Mrs Alice Samuel, said the six months training by the foundation had been tough and interesting.
She noted that many pupils in the school were now able to read and identify sounds.
She added that they, as teachers, found it tough in coordinating the pupils because they sit on bare floor, adding that donation of chairs by the foundation eased their work.
Also, Comfort Okibe, one of the teachers, said the project improved them as well in teaching techniques for better understanding of the pupils.
“The ICT training we went through which included the use of internet to download activities that back up our teaching, has boosted our capacity and that of the pupils who prior, could not read or write simple sentences,”she said.
Earlier, Dr Ibrahim Bulus, the Education Secretary, Chikun LG Education Authority, described education as the right of the children.
Represented by Mr. Ezra Dantawaye, he pledged to continue pushing for better Infrastructure for the school from the state government.
He thanked the foundation for the support to the school, while restating their committment to sustain the project for better learning outcome from the learners and better teaching skill and techniques to the teachers.
The foundation’s literacy drive project, and donations of learning support materials, cut across five schools in Kaduna.
The Literacy Drive Project by the foundation was partnered by LEAP Africa and supported by Ihifix foundation, Nigeria Turkish International College and Queen Amina College.
Others who supported the project were Kaduna State, Coalition for Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED), Kaduna State Basic Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM).
The event featured demonstration of letters and their sounds by the pupils.
