“FIFTY PERCENT OF STUDENTS IN ENUGU STATE ARE UNABLE TO READ IN ENGLISH OR SOLVE BASIC MATH PROBLEMS.” – SSG

Babatunji Wusu –

Chidiebere Onyia, the secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG), said that new research indicates that half of the state’s students are illiterate in English and incapable of answering basic math problems.

This was revealed by Onyia on Thursday in Enugu during the Old Boys Association of Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw’s quadrennial convention, where she gave a keynote speech headlined “Smart Basic Education and the Future of Africa.”

According to the SSG, the deficiency was found in November 2023 during the government’s Baseline Assessment of the state’s primary schools.

He said, “Our findings were shocking. After six years of primary school, 50 per cent of our children cannot read a single word in English and those who can read struggle with comprehension.

“50% of our children cannot solve simple subtraction challenges. What we found out in Enugu State is written large across our nation.

“The World Bank, UNICEF, and UNESCO have defined this as ‘the Nigerian Learning Crisis’.

“On top of this, our children suffer a “Skills Gap” because existing modes of teaching do not equip children with scientific, technological, productive, and digital competencies.”

The state government’s education strategy, according to the SSG, has been repositioned to take into account bio-digital technologies, which will boost industrial growth.

According to him, Governor Peter Mbah has made a conscious effort to adapt the educational system to the evolving needs of the world.

He added, “In Enugu State, we now believe that in addition to providing continuous training and professional development to teachers within the school systems, we must also transform how teachers teach, as well as how students learn.”