Gov’s Wife moves to eradicate illiteracy in Rivers

Education is widely acknowledged as a vital instrument of change national development and a catalyst for economic development and it also believe that  it is only when people are equipped with skills, abilities and competencies that they could catalyze development in all its ramification.

This might not be unconnected to the fact why nations around the world are investing seriously in education to enhance their political consciousness, socio-economic engineering and national integration.

But developing countries like Nigeria according to a university don with Niger Delta University, Dr. Idumange Agreen is not investing up to 13 percent of its budget into education hence the challenges and problems facing the country.

The university don who spoke in Port Harcourt recently at an occasion organised by Empowerment support Initiative (ESI) to mark the 2009 International Literacy day said for education to take its pride in driving the country’s economy, the government must   invest in education.

Agreen at the event noted that the crusade against illiteracy in Nigeria has gone a long way as he pointed out that the New National Policy on Education (2004) has made provision for adult literacy and non-formal education .

He disclosed that the introduction of Universal Primary Education scheme in 1976 was another attempt to bringing mass literacy to the country but he however  regretted  that the projects failed due to mismanagement and poor implementation which was occasioned by shortage of funds.

Research also revealed that 776 million adult lack minimum literacy skills, a good proportion of the figure are women while 75 million children are out of school but precisely 11 million Nigerians are out of school.

Some of them are street vendors, beggars, scavengers, car washers and pure water sellers in an unhealthy  environment.

Investigations also revealed  that such exposure  (child labour)  affects the acquisition of basic education as it affects the ability of children to attend school and tap the benefit of schooling but rather such children usually end up becoming armed robbers and criminals in the society thereby constituting problems for the government.

According to Agreen, “ working children hardly have time, money and energy to attend school, in Nigeria over eight million children combine schooling and work; this category of children work to pay their fees and often skip classes because of the demands of their drudgery”.

He added, “Children participation as manifested in school enrolment has declined from 86.2 percent in 1993 to 70.3% in 2000 and drop out rate is estimated at 15%.Statistics show that only 64 % of students make it to basic 5 while 43.5% continue to basic 9 while children from rural areas and urban poor live without quality education hence they continue to wallow in the vicious circle of poverty”.

Piqued by these anomalies, the wife of the Rivers State Governor, Mrs. Judith Amaechi has moved to establish 319 nursery schools to be built in all designated wards in the state.

The target according to the governor’s wife was to make available high quality start-up education for children in the rural areas who ordinarily would have access to low quality education or no education at all.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2009 International Literacy day organised by ESI , a non- governmental organisation initiated by the governor’s wife to provide practical assistance in development and welfare of women and children, the ESI’s administrator, Mr. Nowa Omorogbe explained that the school  would be provided with requisite infrastructures and trained teachers .

Omorogbe disclosed that already 300 children have been admitted in the first phase of the school founded by the governor’s wife.

He added that organisation’s vision was to reverse economic disadvantages of the rural poor, put food on their table and increase productivity by sharpening their skills which will bring development in the society.

While interacting with various NGO’s , civil Liberties  Organisation and scholars at the event, The Special Media Assistant to the Governor’s wife, Mr. Dike Bekwele,urged the NGO’s  to work hard and come out with their best to assist in making literacy available for all.