Education reform process: Experts call for Reggio Emilia pedagogy’s adoption in schools

Education experts in the country have tested and confirmed the efficiency of Reggio Emilia pedagogy to stimulate learning in the basic education system, especially in the pre- primary education, and therefore called for its adoption in the Nigerian schools.

The experts made the declaration at a brainstorming meeting organised by Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s  Fund,(UNICEF),  for lecturers drawn from  different institutions in the South -West, held in Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan,  Oyo State.

The experts observed that while comparing the comprehension level of learners under traditional method of teaching with learners under the Reggio Emilia teaching method for a period of time, the latter approach was found more effective for adoption by all the Early Childhood schools in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Provost, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, Dr  Nelson Aderemi  Oyewo, said  the new  teaching method  was used on some select pre-schools in the state to trial run-through of the new teaching method  for its reliability to improve learning in schools in Oyo State and other states in the country.

According to him, the adoption of Reggio Emilia pedagogy by Nigerian government would bring Nigerian educational system at a par with the international best practices, saying Reggio Emilia education deals with the total development of a child at pre -primary education level for easy and effective transition to basic education level.

Speaking in the same vein,  Dr Ishola  Salami from  the Early Childhood  Education Department, University of Ibadan, stated that the  use of the new  teaching and  learning method at the basic level of education  for the development of toddlers was very paramount in education  in terms of  quality and quantity.

He said Reggio Emilia teaching method went beyond numeracy and literacy education, adding that it would develop a child mentally, emotionally and physically.

According to him, pre-primary education is the formative years of a child where personality of a child is formed, saying Reggio Emilia teaching approach is the best teaching option that will adequately  bring out  in-born skills in a child better than any traditional method one can ever imagined.

The Desk officer for UNICEF, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Dr Adesina  Joseph asserted that adequately funding  pre-primary education and the  adoption of Reggio Emilia pedagogy by every state in the country would lead to pragmatic  development  in educational system.

He said it would not be out of place for government to establish a ministry or an agency for pre- primary/ Early Childhood Education in the state and even at the federal level for better funding and administration.

Also, the representative of UNICEF from Akure B-field Office,  Ondo,  the state capital, Dr  Murtala  Adogi  Mohammed ,reiterated the need for Nigeria to imbibe Reggio Emilia strategic teaching method in pre-primary education into its education system.

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