According to Oxford advance learner Dictionary, literacy is the ability to read and write.

On November 17th 1965, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO set aside 8th September for the annual celebration of International Literacy Day to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society.

During a ministerial briefing ahead of International Literacy Day, The Minister of State for Education, Mr, Goodluck Opiah said about 31 per cent of the adult population in Nigeria are illiterate.

Mr Opiah noted the ministry’s commitment to eradicating illiteracy, citing the inclusion of Youth and Adult Literacy in its Strategic Plan.

In an interview with Radio Nigeria, stakeholders in the education sector are of the opinion that ensuring that Nigerian students improve on their reading culture should be part of the literacy drive.

Speaking, a don, Doctor Mutiu Ganiyu, who decried poor reading culture among Nigerian students said the situation had adversely affected the standard of education.

The scholar blamed the problem on students’ over-exposure to social media, including television and internet related-devices, urging parents to be their children’s teachers at home, by encouraging them to read and be less materialistic.

 In separate interviews, Two Teachers, Mrs Oluwadamilola Abioye and Mr Oluwasanmi Falode explained that Literacy was a step to education which enables an individual to exploit all spheres of human endeavours. 

Mrs Abioye and Mr Falode appealed to Government at all levels to provide jobs for the teeming youths, especially those who have struggled hard to graduate from the four walls of tertiary institutions to attract the upcoming generation. 

Also, The Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Education, Mr Jamiu Olawunmi said that based on the Nation’s literacy percentage, there was still a quantum of People who could not read and write despite the provision of the Nigerian Education Law which states that everybody must be literate. 

He explained that to conform with the compulsory constitutional provisions of 10 years of basic Education for every individual, Osun State Government had made childhood Education tuition free for Residents. 

Mr Olawunmi noted that the State Ministry of Education has provisions for Adult Literacy with the establishment of Adult Literacy centres across the state to cater for those who missed school at the early stage. 

He stressed the need for parents to play their roles by providing basic writing materials for their children. 

The Theme for this year’s International Literacy Day is  “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces

Moji Abe

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