The Lagos State Government has introduced an initiative to stimulate the interest of schoolchildren in reading books.
The Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, in a statement on Sunday, said the initiative, tagged, ‘Read Aloud, Lagos,’ would encourage all children within the primary school age bracket to imbibe the culture of reading.
She noted that this would increase their knowledge and improve comprehension. Seriki-Ayeni said,
“As an education quality assurance person, I was moved by the conviction that children perform better when they are led in the act of reading by someone else. Therefore, reading aloud is expected to be the most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success.”
She explained that the programme was initiated to bridge the reading gap among pupils, adding that information available to the government showed that the time currently allocated to reading during and after school hours, was inadequate.
The director general, however, maintained that the reading ability of children would greatly improve if they had role models to look up to.
She said such models would guide the children on how to pronounce words, read books and think critically.
The education quality assurance boss explained that the project would be inaugurated during the celebration of the Children’s Day on May 27, 2020.
She noted that dignitaries, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, would read to children through online platforms and electronic media.
“It is necessary to adopt new strategies of preparing for the new world of learning, since the COVID-19 pandemic has presently put a stop to classroom teaching. The implication of this development is that learning in schools will never be the same again”, Seriki-Ayeni said.
