UNICEF advises the Nigerian government to scale up basic literacy initiatives

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), nearly 1.8 million Nigerian children have received learning materials in the past four years, and the organisation has tasked the Nigerian government with expanding its foundational literacy initiatives.

This was said by Mrs. Yetunde Oluwatosin, the Education Specialist for UNICEF Nigeria, in a Wednesday interview with OBASANJO NEWS24 in Lagos.

Oluwatosin was discussing the foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) programme of the organisation, which aims to improve early childhood education in Nigeria.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), nearly 1.8 million Nigerian children have received learning materials in the past four years, and the organisation has tasked the Nigerian government with expanding its foundational literacy initiatives.

When speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, Mrs. Yetunde Oluwatosin, the Education Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, said this.

Oluwatosin was discussing the foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) programme of the organisation, which aims to improve early childhood education in Nigeria.

According to OBASANJO NEWS24, FLN was a cutting-edge instructional strategy for both in-person and distance learning.

Therefore, we present and assist states in putting into practise the lessons at the proper level and approach designed to build a very strong educational foundation for the Nigerian child.

“With curriculum-aligned, top-notch, inclusive teaching and learning resources, the goal is to ensure that the kids reach or attain the desired level in their grade.

“By allowing the kid to use their mother tongue as they advance through primary school, they are able to study and develop their literacy and numeracy as they should.

We distributed educational materials to more than 1.8 million kids between 2018 and 2022, and we’re aiming to reach a further 4.8 million kids by 2027.

“We started this because we saw some kids going through the system, but they’re not at the level they should be, so we need a remedial approach to get them back on board,” she added.

The UNICEF expert noted that similar evidence was utilised in other nations, mentioning India as an example, where the situation was comparable to Nigeria’s.

She claimed that after being tested and piloted, the strategies produced excellent outcomes.

Oluwatosin asked the government to increase its cooperation with UNICEF by devoting more cash to the education sector, starting with the fundamentals and a child’s early education.

The government should ensure that these ideas are scaled out across states so that our students can learn effectively as they progress through the system, she added. “This is a global era where digitalization and technology rules,” she said.

She advocated for the system’s teachers to be regularly empowered and upgraded to improve their skills, calling them crucial stakeholders.

“We need to get it right from the pre-service level; instructors need to have their capacity established before entering the workforce to enable them to teach students in the 21st century.

“Continuity should exist even when they start serving. The Nigerian Teachers Registration Council should establish the professional standard and determine how it should be put into practise.

“As instructors age, they require fresh ideas to keep up with colleagues throughout the globe.

“One of the areas UNICEF is focusing on is the mentoring and coaching approach, and schools need to have very effective, capacity-built teachers who are knowledgeable in this approach,” she said.

According to Oluwatosin, many interventions occurred as the government rose.

“They are acting appropriately, but more needs to be done.

Development partners are still present, bringing in models, and we can see that the models are effective.

Oluwatosin urged parents and teachers to work together, adding, “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.”