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…Carries out research on reading statistics in Enugu

By Onyema Okoani (Author) 

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90% of primary six pupils in public primary schools in Enugu State cannot read for meaning.

If you are in doubt of this statistics, a visit to the famous Ekulu Primary School, GRA Enugu will be an eye opener to the decadence. A team of researchers witnessed that most of primary six pupils in public primary schools in Enugu State are functional illiterates; meaning: “they can read the words but they cannot understand the content”.

The result of the 2022/2023 Reading Research carried out by BLACK JAGUAR BOOK CLUB, released on Friday, June 23, 2023, shows that our country is going backwards in the fundamental unit of education-literacy.

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Extrapolating from Enugu State data, the report estimates that the percentage of primary six pupils in public schools in Nigeria that cannot read for meaning is at least 88%.

The 2022/2023 Reading Research was coordinated by the Founder, BLACK JAGUAR BOOK CLUB, Onyema Okoani, to ensure that all children in Nigeria, age ten or older, can read for meaning by the end of Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, year 2030.

This Agbani, Community – based Book Club, that promotes literacy in Enugu-East Senatorial District of Nigeria, and have given out over, 4,000 New Books and conducted 70 Classroom programmes in pursuit of SDG’s 4 (Quality Education) believe that cultivating a culture of reading shouldn’t be that hard.

Similar research have shown that it is important to teach children how to read and understand what they have read from their early formative stages. This is so because when pupils are denied the ability to read and only pushed when they reach secondary school level, it becomes difficult for them to catch up with other successful learners.

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For this reason and more, we as a Book Club are keen to doing more especially to engage and transform children in public schools into habitual reading. Unfortunately, in the course of our research we rarely met a teacher who reads or enjoys reading. One of our favourite questions put across to young teachers when visitations to schools for the first time is made, is along the lines of: “What are you reading”? or “What is the best book you’ve read recently?”. Some teachers told us that they read only in their phones or other electronic gadgets. In fact, many teachers in public schools even seem to hate books. But it is common knowledge that you can’t engender a love of reading if you are not reading yourself, and do not value books.

Juxtaposing this with what is obtainable in some private primary school in Enugu State. In a particular school they have a program tagged “DEAR” an acronym for – Drop Everything And Read. Interestingly, “DEAR” means that for the last half hour before the school dismissed everyday, everyone had to drop everything to pick a book and read. This includes teachers, head teachers and school management staffs. What an atmosphere! So nice to witness such a revolutionary program that all of the adults were reading everyday. We have always believed this; our enthusiasm for reading will inspires learners.

Let’s be clear, you can’t expect children to read when their teachers don’t read.

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With hindsight, it is exceptionally important to start reading at an early age, and Black Jaguar Book Club is providing an age appropriate reading material that will appeal to the children enough to keep them reading even when they are not encouraged by parents or teachers. Our picture book stories captivates the imagination and grasp their attention, making reading a leisure not a punishment.

We are calling on the Federal Ministry of Education and their State counterparts to support writing and reading of children picture book in basic schools in Nigeria. We also call on public and private organizations, donor agencies and private-spirited individuals to join the reading revolution and sponsor the new campaign tagged- “Festival Of Knowledge” (Nkanu For Nigeria). The program is planned that with 1,500 Naira only per child, each child in primary six in public schools in Nigeria will receive a new story book titled “Adorable Dora” to take home.

The hard truth is that reading of children’s picture book is one of the best ways to help primary school children understand something without necessarily having to experience it for themselves. It also helps them to build language skills, exposing them to new words and ways of using language, which makes it easier for them to learn about new subjects once they get to secondary school.

Investigation shows that many children in public primary school have never owned a book before. We believe that book ownership is essential in igniting a love for reading.

Please help a child in any public primary school in Nkanu East/West LGA to read and own book (Adorable Dora).

Sponsor now by contacting:
08036738205 – Onyema Okoani

09061899190 – Freeman Nnamani

08035503966 – Engr. Innocent Obodo

08068284843 – Engr. Ogo Nwabueze