The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) has disclosed that about 65 million Nigerians are still
illiterate.
National Programme Advisor on Education, UNESCO
Regional Office in Abuja, Dr. Mohammed Alkali made this disclosure
during an advocacy visit to Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Kastina
State.
Alkai said people could be lifted out of poverty if they
were empowered with basic reading skills, adding, “just nine months of
literacy increases a person’s earning by up to 10 per cent.”
He,
however, pointed out that the non-formal education sector had suffered
from very low funding and urged political leaders to develop the
political will to fulfill their mandates by recruiting and paying
UNESCO-trained facilitators.
He also revealed that UNESCO in
collaboration with the National Mass Education Commission (NMEC) had
embarked on a project to revitalise adult and youth literacy with the
target of reducing Nigerian illiteracy rate by between five to six
million youths and adults.
Dr. Alkali stated that the project was
developed with “strategic partnerships initiatives sharing
responsibilities between UNESCO, Federal Government, states and local
government areas to achieve the target results.
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