Ikpeazu’s wife flag off radio programme for adult learners

• Lauds NMEC for its introduction
• 300 adult learners get radio sets, others materials

Three hundred adult learners have been provided with radio sets and other learning materials to flag off the National Mass Education Commission (NMEC) ‘Literacy By Radio Programme in the English Language’ in Abia State.

At the event in Umuahia, the First Lady of Abia, Dr. (Mrs.) Nkechi Okezie Ikpeazu, who was represented by a former Women Affairs Commissioner Dr. (Mrs.) Chinedu Brown said the radio programme would go a long way in creating opportunities for those who could not finish their formal education or went to school at all for one reason or another, to acquire desired education.

According to the Abia First Lady, the programme will also help to create awareness on the importance of education, eradication of illiteracy in society, and bring education closer to the people that have need of it.

The executive director of the Abia State Agency For Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Mr. Douglas Nwaorji, said that the programme is a pilot scheme of NMEC in collaboration with the state agency to teach people, mainly the adult learners, how to read, write and calculate in English language.

He said that for the success of the programme, six facilitators drawn from the state’s three Senatorial zones, a desk officer and the executive director attended a weeklong training anchored by NMEC from July 12 to 16, 2021 in Kano.

The executive director also said that NMEC also provided the state 29 audio CD lessons for the three months pilot scheme, 307 radio sets and memory cards, 300 primers and other writing materials including Facilitators Guide, funds to pay for the lessons broadcast on the state radio and the facilitators for the three months pilot scheme programme.

He said that his agency has 197 learning centres across the state and that the adult learners will after the programme, be in the position to communicate without much difficulty in the English language, read books, work harder to send their children to school, appreciate the unity and peaceful co-existence in the country as well as understand, appreciate and carry out their civil duties as good citizens.

The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, (NMEC) is the statutory Federal Government parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Education, established by Decree N0. 17 of June 26, 1990, and took off on July 5, 1991. The Commission has its co-operate Headquarters in Abuja and is headed by an Executive Secretary.

The Commission has six zonal offices in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country; North-East – Bauchi; North West – Katsina; North Central – Minna; South West – Ibadan; South-South – Benin; South East – Owerri and a National Documentation Centre for Adult Education located in Kano, which was established to train middle and lower-level adult personnel in the country and to develop and produce teaching and learning materials in literacy and Non- Formal Education.

The Commission supervises and supports the activities of State Agencies for Adult and Non-Formal Education in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In addition to its Kano Centre, the Commission also oversees and supports state NFE Training Institutes at Bauchi, Gombe, Makurdi, Uyo, Maiduguri and Jos including centre for literacy and development for Africa. This is in addition to its superintendence role on all Non-governmental Organisations involved in Literacy and NFE provision in the country.