Ogun tasks pupils on effective reading habit

Ogun State Government has called on students to imbibe reading habit to improve their intellectual capability by making use of the conducive learning atmosphere provided by the present administration.

Director of Education Support Services, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Martins Akinsolu, who stated this in Abeokuta, said over 90 per cent of school children in Nigeria today lacked the drive to read, explaining that the scenario was alarming, as many of them preferred to play games, watch television and surfing the internet aimlessly for hours rather than reading books.

Akinsolu lauded the effort of the present administration in tackling challenges confronting the educational sector in the state through effective policies and programmes. He said such programmes include effective school monitoring mechanism, distribution of free textbooks and construction of model colleges across the three senatorial districts of the state among others.

He also commended the government for organising reading competition for schools, saying the motive behind the initiative was to raise the bar of reading culture among school children in the state for academic excellence.

According to him, “Most of the schools now are being given new textbooks; at least, it will reduce the burden on the parents. The distribution of textbooks to schools will also inspire reading culture among the students, as they are entitled to recommended textbooks on all the subjects they offer, which they will return later.”

In a related development, the Director, Ogun State Library Services, Mr. Lateef Benson, urged parents to encourage their children to visit the library regularly and also create room for effective reading at home.

Benson, who also commended the commitment of Sen. Ibikunle Amosun for promoting reading culture and academic advancement by organising summer camp for children across the state, explained that the library services, in line with the state’s policy, had also organised quiz competition, spelling bees and other educational programmes towards improving literacy among school children.