The Executive Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, Ven. Fyneface Akah has expressed hope that the record Rivers State has in Nigeria as the most improved in terms of literacy ahead of other states would continue to be maintained.
Akah stated this while declaring open the four-day training for Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) Mentors holding in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Represented by the Director, Administration/Supplies and Head, Public Relations, Barrister Karibi George, the chairman described literacy as listening, reading and writing, stressing that literacy was a sort of pep that oils the business of social interaction.
He noted that the more a man was capable of expressing himself, the easier it was for him to enter into relationship with other people, pointing out that most people who fight with their fists were those who have difficulty expressing themselves.
While thanking the Federal Government for considering it worthwhile to return to the basics with respect to introducing the children to literacy through Jolly Phonics method, the chairman said the jolly phonics life players presented to the board by the Universal Learning Solutions Initiative (ULSI) have capacity for multi-media activities.
He noted that the life player also took into consideration the peculiar circumstances, particularly with respect to electricity and energy, adding that”as a result, nobody can make an excuse that his or her life player does not have battery power because you can manually charge the battery”.
He, therefore, charged the mentors and teacher leaders that have been chosen as the pilot for the programme to not only use the life player well but demonstrate it, and also teach others, stressing that to whom much is given, much is expected.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Director, Teacher Development and Lead Director, BESDA Result Area 2, Stella Pepple, had said that the whole essence of the training was to equip the children with the skills of reading and writing.
She said that the programme was not just to train mentors and master teachers alone but to ensure that they deliver on what they were thought as the exercise was children-centred, and disclosed that they have concluded the primary three literacy training using jolly phonics method.
In his goodwill message, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) BESDA Consultant in Rivers State, Dr. Pius Osagie commended the participants for turning out in their numbers, and said the second cohort would be to build on their previous experience, urging the teachers to deliver quality service as their role was key at basic education level.
Also speaking, the South-South Coordinator, Universal Learning Solutions Initiatives,Mr. Tony Horsfall, thanked Akah for being supportive in virtually every good idea sold to him, and scored him high.
Some of the mentors and master trainers interviewed described the programme as a welcome development.
Meanwhile, the teacher leaders in their appreciation remarks through Mrs Beatrice Dikkio, also thanked the chairman for all his support.
Highlight of the ceremony included short demo of the jolly players as well as presentation of the life players to the chairman.