By Justina Auta
Some stakeholders have called for more investment in early education and equipping of libraries with educational materials to enhance reading, writing and communication in public schools.
The stakeholders made the call on Saturday in Abuja during the close-out session of the Literacy Advancement Project for students in Government Secondary School (GSS), Kagini.
The project is with support from two NGOs, Teenage Network and Malala Fund.
The Executive Director, Teenage Network, Mrs Olanike Timipa-Uge, decried the poor literacy rate in Nigeria, particularly amongst women and girls, adding that some students in public schools were unable to read or write effectively.
She said that the organisation collaborated with Miss Martha Samuel, a Malala Girl Fellow in Nigeria under the Literacy Advancement project, to support school girls in FCT rural communities.
“Martha, with support from Teenage Network and Malala Fund, conducted a reading assessment for school girls in a remote community called ‘Kagini’ in the FCT.
“30 out of the 50 girls screened could not read; eight out of the 30 lacked phonemic awareness and we had to start the literacy training by first teaching alphabets.
“The girls were engaged in 36 literacy sessions and in addition, the school library was renovated and equipped with books to foster learning habit.
“Few of the girls were actually supposed to be married out this year by their parents because they did not see the need to continue to keep them in school as they could not read,” she said.
Timipa-Uge appealed to the government to improve on the quality of education and ensure that every girl-child had access to education.
According to her, this will improve their livelihood, enable them to make informed decisions and protect them from violence.
Also, the Malala Girl fellow, Martha Samuel, said that the inability of some of the girls to read and write started from the foundational classes
She said that they were also not monitored and encouraged before being promoted to the next class.
“The problem started from the basic education. They were not monitored to see if the students could read or write.
“If they were been checked, government and the teachers would have known that these girls were being promoted to the next class despite their inability to read or write,” she said.
A Literacy teacher and volunteer, Mr Vincent Yacim, said that at the beginning of the project here there was communication barrier.
“The students were timid and afraid because of their inability to read and write.
“But within this period of learning, they are now bold, outspoken and have learnt a lot as far as literacy is concerned,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Marvel Sifon-White, said that the project had identified girls who were unable to read or write and provided them with literacy training.
“Over the course of the project, girls, who previously struggled with basic literacy skills, were taught how to read, and by the end of the programme, we all learnt to read well.
“This initiative was brought out of the recognition that many girls in senior classes face significant educational barriers due to their inability to read, limiting their academic and personal growth,” she said.
Similarly, Miss Goodness Cosmos, also a beneficiary, stressed the need for the government to ensure that students were taught how to read and write from the basic level to improve their literacy skills.
A parent who spoke on behalf of others, Mrs Udeme Udor, expressed appreciation to the organisations for their support, which had increased passion for learning amongst the girls.
