The Oyo State Agency for Adult and Non-formal Education (AANFE) has graduated a total of 2, 010 adults through its non-formal education programme, seizing the opportunity to encourage uneducated citizens to embrace its literacy programmes to develop themselves and the state.
The chairman of the agency, Ayo Olopoenia, on Tuesday at the AANFE office in Ibadan, noted that the graduation ceremony was in commemoration of the 2023 International Literacy Day with the theme ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’.
Olopoenia stressed that literacy empowers and liberates people, which in turn improves lives, reduces poverty, improves participation in the labour market, and positively affects health and sustainable development.
“The Oyo State government is not left out in reducing illiteracy in the state. So, spread the gospel of adult education to those around you, because a learned society is a better society,” he said.
The coordinating director of AANFE, Mr O. J. Oladejo, stated that the state government is seriously fighting illiteracy among its citizens, adding that those who have not taken the step to be literate should do so.
“Education is the light that chases darkness away. With mass education, there is meaningful development. So, we implore you to encourage your uneducated relations to enrol when another programme starts,” he said.
According to Oladejo, this year − from the 34 state-owned conventional training centres, 28 NGO-facilitated centres, and 4 centres organised by the National Mass Education Commission (NMEC) − 1497 people graduated from the basic adult literacy programme, 373 from the post-literacy class, and 140 from the advance class, making a total of 2010 graduates.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Professor Salihu Abdulwaheed, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olusanjo Adeniyi, emphasised that in a rapidly changing world full of technological and environmental challenges, literacy is not just about the ability to read and write, but also about empowerment, access to knowledge, and also a bedrock for resilience, diversity, and inclusive society.
“By investing in education, promoting lifelong learning, and embracing innovative approaches, we pave the way for sustainable development and peaceful co-existence,” he said.
The commissioner assured that the government will continue to provide the enabling environment for educational development and the foundation for a brighter future where literacy will be the cornerstone of a sustainable society.
The state’s Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni, represented by the Permanent Secretary (Establishment and Training) of the Service, Olajide Okesade, said that success in life and business is not by accident, that through education and literacy programmes, people and societies are better equipped to succeed and develop.
While appreciating AANFE officials for the work they are doing in providing adult literacy in the state, the Head of Service noted that the governor has earmarked a substantial amount of the 2024 budget to make Oyo State the fastest-growing economy in Nigeria.
She added that, to do this, “Human capacity development is critical.”
The zonal coordinator of NMEC, Kuburat Lawal, stated that virtually everything is about literacy – farming, health, and technology, among others. She based her speech on the first four items on the list of the SDGs in relation to how literacy can help achieve them.
“The world is changing, and we must change as well. And we can only achieve this through literacy, by learning how to read and write,” Lawal said.
A professor of industry education − from the Department of Adult Education, University of Ibadan – Agbomehre Momoh, stressed that adult education and literacy is germane to personal growth and national development.
While encouraging AANFE to continue with the good work and the graduates to put their basic education to use, Professor Momoh recommended the establishment of an adult literacy fund that would enable the government to educate and train more people.
Ehindero Alaba, the Executive Director of the Centre for Support of Women in Unpaid and Informal Employment in Nigeria (WIIEN), one of the 28 NGO-facilitated centres, stated that WIIEN works to enhance the human capital development of women in unpaid care works and informal employment, which consists of home-based workers, street vendors, market women, and other self-employed women.
She added that they working to support measures that would ensure their labour-force participation, and promote their health, education and gender equality, which are rooted in sustainable development goals (SDGs) 3, 4, 5, and 8.
Some of the officials of the NGO-facilitated centres and their members who participated in the adult literacy programme spoke at the event.
Also present at the event were some officials of the Oyo State government, some local government officials, members of the Ibadan Rotary Club, among others.
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