Posted by UNICEF reports that it has provided educational resources to more than 1.8 million children in Nigeria over the past four years, and it has asked the Nigerian government to expand its early literacy efforts.
On Wednesday in Lagos, Mrs. Yetunde Oluwatosin, the Education Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, made the remarks to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programme is an initiative of the agency that Oluwatosin was discussing; its goal is to improve preschool education in Nigeria.
According to NAN, FLN was a game-changing tool for both traditional schools and at-home educators.
Therefore, we introduce and assist states in implementing the appropriate curriculum to provide a solid educational foundation for every kid in Nigeria.
The goal is for all students to graduate from high school having acquired the skills and knowledge expected of them based on their grade level’s curriculum.
When a kid enters primary school with the option to communicate and learn in their native language, they make appropriate gains in reading and numeracy.
Over 1.8 million kids were provided with educational resources between 2018 and 2022, and we want to reach another 4.8 million by 2027.
She explained that the motivation behind the program was the realization that some students were being processed through the system despite being well below grade level, necessitating a corrective strategy to get them back on track.
The UNICEF expert noted that comparable evidence was being utilized in other countries, specifically mentioning India as having a situation similar to that of Nigeria.
She emphasized that the methods have undergone pilot studies and testing, with promising outcomes.
Oluwatosin called on the government to work more closely with UNICEF by investing more in children’s education from a young age.
For the sake of our children’s education, she argued, “the government should ensure the scale up of these approaches across states.” “This is a global era where digitalisation and technology rules,” she remarked.
She described educators as “critical stakeholders” and advocated for ongoing efforts to empower and enhance them.
To properly train instructors to instruct students in the twenty-first century, “we need to get it right from the pre-service level.”
Even when they enter service, there need to be a smooth transition. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria is responsible for determining what is expected of teachers and how those expectations should be met.
Teachers need innovative methods to keep up with their peers throughout the world as they gain experience and wisdom.
She stated, “One of the areas UNICEF is focusing on is ensuring that schools have highly effective, capacity-built teachers who are familiar with that mentoring, coaching approach.”
Oluwatosin claimed that several interventions occurred as the administration expanded.
They are fulfilling their responsibilities, but more needs to be done.
We are witnessing that the models brought in by our development partners are effective, and those partners are still present.
“It is necessary to engage parents in learning to enable them to follow the curriculum of their wards and ensure that teachers are living up to expectations,” Oluwatosin pleaded with parents to work with educators. (NAN)