Gov. Nwifuru flags off distribution of over 100,000 reading materials for pupils

 

 

By Charles Nwankwo

 

The Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has flagged off the distribution of over one hundred thousand instructional materials for pupils in public primary schools in the state.

 

The flag off event took place at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Abakaliki 4th December 2024

The Governor ably represented by the Hon. Commissioner for primary and Secondary Education Prof. Paul Awo Nwobasi said it is not always easy to face education problems, education is a sector that is ladened with so much problems especially with the rising influence of artificial intelligence.

 

He thanked USAID Learn to Read and other international development partners for assisting Ebonyi State Education travels

The Commissioner emphasized that the Governor in his manifesto, education is given preference which huge amount of money has been spent paying counterpart fund, buying text books, training students, building structures in schools’ to make sure that Ebonyi State is advanced in Education sector.

Recalling that Ebonyi state had been labeled with a bad stigma as one of the most educationally disadvantaged state, but the present Government is on the forefront to remove the devastating stigma from Ebonyi man, affirming that His Excellency has awarded scholarships, send many people abroad for further studies and currently recruiting teachers to ensure that Ebonyi Education sector is revamped pointing out that Governor Nwifuru awarded One thousand students full scholarship, three hundred to study in oversees while seven hundred to study in our Nigeria Universities.

prof. Nwobasi said that the new books which include P 1, P 2, P3 indicate the seriousness trying to start a fresh, and make sure that the right thing is been done. For you to be literate, you have to know how to read and write, enjoining everyone to put hands on desk to support His Excellency succeed educationally. He said when pupils get the correct thing right at the correct time, they will not be afraid with reading or writing of any book.

He advised the local Government education Secretaries to make sure the books get to the target audience, adding that the books must be shared to the pupils one by one not keeping it in the store. The Ministry and UBEB will set up monitoring and tracking mechanism that will ensure equal distribution

Illustrating the tracking chain after distribution, the Commissioner said that it will move from the SUBEB to the 13 LGAs, from LGAs to schools and to the pupils who will make use of them.

The Hon. Commissioner warned education Secretaries, head teachers and teachers not to sell any of the books to private schools anybody caught in such act must be dismissed from work. He implored private schools Proprietors who desires to have the books to apply, stating that nobody will hoard the books because education is a general problem.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the chairman State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Rt. Hon. Mrs, Patience Ogodo ably represented by the board Secretary Dr. Livinus Ezeuwa described the flag off distribution of over 100,000 books as remarkable and desirable because it is in line with hopes, needs and aspirations of Ebonyians and in line with the minds of His Excellency the Governor who has made education number one in his people’s charter of need.

Dr. Ezeuwa said there is every need to eulogize the Governor for he didn’t only make education number One, but practicing it by providing all needed to ensure that there is proper educational development in the state which includes, learning instructional programm such as “lets read, Ka Anyi Guo” from primary 1 – 3 fluently both in Igbo our local language and English our Target language.

Dr. Ezeuwa explained that the essence of the newly printed books is for pupils to have materials that will guide them to reading and understanding both English Language and their dialect, noting that the Governor has a lot of thoughts on how to expand the horizon of Education development, his welfare packages for education workers, managers and entire Ebonyi people.are all desirable. He said that the materials are meant to be distributed to the 13 LGAs, from the 13 LGAs to all public schools and it is not meant for library keep but for every learner to his hand adding that over one hundred thousand copies has been printed out from the press.

He said that Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board is happy to be a harbinger in the process of ensuring that Ebonyians learn and to have a Governor that is mindful for the need of his people and recognized that education is paramount in societal development The SUBEB secretary expressed the board preparedness to ensure that the materials are properly utilized.

In his remark, the representative of USAID Learn to Read, Simon Adebayo applauded the Governor of Ebonyi State Government for a surprising outstanding effort put together with the ministry of Education, the State Universal Basic Education that has manufactured a huge success, affirming that he has gone round LGA stores, reviewed the Education Management System (EMIS) and Ebonyi is showing legacy.

“He said that what other states are waiting for fund to do, Ebonyi is already doing them, adding that internal staff are already doing the job to see that the project is moving in the right direction. He appealed hence teaching and learning cannot happen without materials, citizens of the state should support the vision and mission of the Governor to ensure that the materials gets to the hands of the learners. It is not for the store to keep, it is for the learners to own and use in their different schools and homes.

In a vote of thanks, the dean of local government education Secretaries in charge of Abakaliki LGA Mr. Stephen Ofoke Thanked His Excellency the Governor of Ebonyi State Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, Hon. Commissioner for Education, Executive Secretary SUBEB, Permanent Secretary SUBEB and USAID for making the education materials available free of charge to pupils in public schools.
Mr. Ofoke assured that Education Secretaries across the state will add their efforts for learning materials reached the target group which is pupils in public primary schools in the state.

International agency USAID learn to Read rendered support in content creation of TLM Teacher Learning Materials while the state government did the whole lot of printing over One Hundred Thousand Book Materials.