Mass literacy: FG engages 999 facilitators nationwide

THE Federal Government has disclosed that a total of 999 facilitators have been engaged to man the adult and literacy campaign in the country.

Minister of Education, Malam AdamuAdamu, who made this known in Abuja, disclosed that the impact of the work of facilitators had already been felt especially in rural communities in Nigeria.

He said government was disturbed by the fact that Nigeria had an estimated 60.5 million adult and youth illiterates, representing 39 per cent of the Nigerian population.

Adamu said what the current administration of President MuhammaduBuahri did was to step up sensitisation and advocacy visits across states of the federation as part of measures to revitalise the youth and adult literacy programme.

He explained that in the first and second phases of the rural facilitators scheme, a total of 999 facilitators were engaged nationwide while 777 had been proposed for the third phase.

He said, “the impact of  the work of the facilitators is already being felt especially in rural communities. Over 50,000 illiterates can now read and write.”

He added that what the government did was to introduced teaching of vocational skills within the adult literacy programmes as well as provision of reading glasses to older people.

The minister further disclosed that advocacy messages in the three major Nigerian languages and communication materials in print, radio and television, were developed in support of the campaign for mass literacy, adult and non-formal education programmes.