Rotary Club Boosts Indigent Adult Education

As part of efforts to encourage Basic Adult Education in the State, the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View has given scholarship worth over N200,000:00 to five indigent adults to study at the Adult Literacy Education Centre in Port Harcourt.
President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View, Uzodinma Akwarandu, while handing over cheque of N200,000:00 to the management of the renowned Saint Andrew’s State School one Adult Education Centre, said the scholarship would cover five adult students for the full school session.
He said the gesture which is providing Basic Education and Literacy under the seven areas of focus of Rotary International was aimed at providing a second chance for those who are poor in the community and could not afford basic education.
“The project is Education for All Ages: To sponsor and encourage uneducated adults to get educated. The concentration has been on primary and secondary schools when it comes to Basic Education and Literacy. Our club, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View, decided to think outside the box… we know there are a lot of people; adults for one reason or the other who missed the opportunity of being educated.
“Basic Education should be a right for everyone, old or young. We hope to build a better society where everyone can read and write. And we hope to achieve dreams of people which they thought was already lost. We also know that an educated society will help in the reduction of crime. This is the second year and we hope to continue for a minimum of five years”, the Rotarian President, Akwarandu said.
On her part, Director of Projects of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View, Florence Okoro said, “More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population. Our goal as Rotarians is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.
“We support education for all children, and literacy for children and adults. Rotary members fight adult illiteracy by working with local advocates to offer community literacy programmes.
The Immediate Past President of the Club, Terrence Porbeni, in his remarks charged the beneficiaries who are aged between 45-60, to take seriously their new way of life of becoming literate no matter their age.
He said, “According to a Rotarian, Mark Wilson: When you teach somebody how to read, they have that for a lifetime. It ripples through the community, one by one.
“Basic education and literacy is one of Rotary’s six areas of focus. We know that basic education and literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, and promoting peace. And that is what we want to see from you after this new phase of your lives”.
The Tide reports that five dozens of eighty leaves exercise books were donated by the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View to twenty students and pupils of Saint Andrew’s State School One and the Adult Education Centre.