By Maryam Abeeb, Abuja
In commemoration of International Literacy Day(ILD), the Federal Government has disclosed that investing in education of the parents will have a meaningful effect on the reduction of out of school children in Nigeria.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in a press briefing as part of activities to mark the day in Abuja, noted that it is a fact that non-literate parents are more likely to breed out of school children thereby compounding the phenomenon facing the nation today.
According to him, government is determined to confront adult literacy programmes with the same zeal in handling out of school children.
“In November 1966, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed 8th September of every year as the International Literacy Day (ILD), to draw global attention to the status of literacy and lifelong learning, as well as highlight the linkage between literacy and the development of individuals and Nations.
‘’This is in addition to the estimated 38% of the non literate adult Population. Investing in Education of the parents will have a ripple effect on the reduction of out of school Children. It is a fact that non-literate parents are more likely to breed out of school children, thereby compounding the phenomenon facing our nation today.
‘’Government is determined to confront adult literacy programmes with the same zeal we are handling out of school children. We look forward to improving budgetary provisions in this regard in the coming years. It is our belief that confronting adult illiteracy and paying attention to out of school children is a comprehensive approach towards resolving the challenges of out of school children on
‘’Ladies and gentlemen, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 calls on countries to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. Specifically, SDG Target 4.6 requires that by 2030, member states should ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
‘’The aim is that by 2030, all young people and adults across the world should have achieved relevant and recognized proficiency levels in functional literacy and numeracy skills that are equivalent to levels achieved at successful completion of basic education”.
Mallam Adamu said that ICT can also be deployed to improve the monitoring of literacy progress, facilitate skills assessment, and make the management and governance of literacy and skills delivery systems more efficient.
‘’Similarly, we need to maximize the opportunities provided by ICT resources including radio, television, mobile phones, computers and internet to bring literacy and numeracy closer to people and make learning more meaningful and motivational, especially for disadvantaged population groups.
‘’In terms of the digital divide for instance; globally, nearly half of the world population (51.2%), including many non-literate adults, did not have access to the Internet in 2018. As our country desires to resolve its developmental challenges and compete in today’s fast-changing society, every citizen needs to have a wide set of knowledge, skills and competences, including literacy, numeracy and digital competency at a proficiency level, in order to learn, adapt and participate in social, economic, cultural and civic life.”
