President Approves Literacy via Radio for Country

President Umaru Musa Yar’adua has approved the extension of the Literacy by Radio project of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (Nmec), to all the states across the federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
The president who announced the approval in Owerri, last week said the significant success recorded in implementing the project in the initial 12 pilot states informed the need to bring the initiative to other states.
The president, represented by Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku, minister of State for Education, expressed delight that the project had become the flagship for the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (Life), Unesco’s global strategic agenda for the implementation of the UN Literacy Decade in the 35 countries with less than 50% literacy rate.
He noted that in the course of running the project in the 12 pilot states, it had gone through some critical stages including a baseline survey to inform the development of the project, development of learners’ primers in 10 local languages and the training of no fewer than 250 Nigerians to execute the project at various levels.
The president noted that the project taught literacy skills in agriculture, health, HIV/AIDS, civic education, life skills; while expressing satisfaction that other initiatives had been incorporated into its implementation in some states.
Hajiya Dukku presented cheques of N2.1 million to each state commissioner for education, and N1.5 million to the FCT, which she said was a sign of the Federal Government’s commitment to the project; stating that its sustenance would depend on the readiness of states and the local governments to champion it.
Dayo Olagunju, executive secretary of Nmec, informed that the workshop was organized to obtain vital information from stakeholders for literacy projects in the country, as well as share experience with them on plans and projects designed to improve the nation’s literacy status.
He said by signing the memorandum of understanding under which the disbursements were made, the benefiting states had committed themselves to the success and sustenance of the project.
Olagunju directed that the money be used for the production of lesson programmes and for the support of state radio broadcast stations.
Money provided to the states for the project came from the office of the special assistant to the president on the Millennium Development Goals, which sourced it from the nation’s debt relief savings.