The Federal Government has solicited stakeholders’ collective engagement to close the literacy gaps among youths and adults in the country.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, made the appeal at a National Stakeholders’ Engagement on Achieving Youth and Adult Literacy on Tuesday in Abuja.
The event organised by the National Commission For Mass Literacy, Adult and Non- Formal Education (NMEC) has the theme: “Addressing the Challenges of Data Collection, Out-of-School Children/Youths.”
A report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that Yobe had the lowest literacy level of 7.23 per cent in 2017, Zamfara 19.16 per cent, Katsina 10.36 per cent and Sokoto 15.01 per cent.
The report showed that Southern states were far better with Imo the highest with 96.43 per cent, Lagos 96.3 per cent, Ekiti 95.79 per cent, and Rivers 95.76 per cent.
The minister, however, said that there must be an holistic approach toward improving the quality of knowledge and certificate given to the adults and non-formal schools.
“The stakeholders engagement is to carry everybody along and get the buying in of all Nigerians.
“The way forward for us is to pay attention to education and this is not only for children but holistic in adults and non-formal education and this education must be backed with certification.
” We are trying to see how we can improve the quality of knowledge and certificate that can be given to our adults and non-formal schools.
“We also want to incorporate skills acquisition into it so that they can also have skills,” he said.
Sununu added that there was need to begin to create awareness campaign that would help parents appreciate the importance of an educated society.
“For you to have an educated children, you must have an educated family.
“There is a direct relationship of the education of the offsprings to that of the parent,” he said.
The minister expressed hope in the future of the country, saying that President Bola Tinubu was keen to eradicate low literacy level and education in the country.
According to him, the president has achieved relative success in this with the return of over 2 million children back to school.
Sununu said that Imo and Lagos states had remained at the top position of states with high literacy rate and called other states like Zamfara, Yobe and the rest to follow suit.
Also, the Executive Secretary of NMEC, Prof. Simon Akpama, said the roadmap for the Nigerian Education Sector had provided a strategic framework to tackle literacy challenges head-on.
Akpama urged stakeholders to harness the diverse expertise and resources to create inclusive and effective educative programmes that would enhance unhindered access to quality education.
“The population increase contributes to increasing number of out-of-school children and once parental illiteracy is high, it will contribute to increasing the number.
“We must support government in funding adequately youth and adult literacy.
“Except this commission is properly funded, we will continue to compound the problem of out-of-school children,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, House Committee on Alternative Education, Mr Ibrahim Mustapha, commended the political will of the President toward changing the literacy narrative of the country.
Mustapha also expressed the commitment and support of the National Assembly in achieving an educated society.
