Commission trains 131 mass literacy facilitators in Adamawa

From Umar Dankano, Yola

The National Mass Literacy Commission (NMEC), in conjunction with United Nation’s Education Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), has trained 131 persons on adult teaching skills, in an effort revitalize adult and youth’s education in Adamawa state.

The development was disclosed at the opening of a workshop held in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, where the state Commissioner of Education, Gabriel Hamma- Adama said the Nyako-led administration would approve the recruitment of facilitators as well as attractive allowances package above the N7, 500 federal government minimum wage.

Hamma-Adama noted the need to provide access to education for the adults and youths, in order to improve their capacity and ensure social and economic stability in the society, as a way of solving much of the problems Nigeria is confronted with in recent times.

The commissioner urged local government councils to support the state Agency for Mass Education in discharging its mandate of bequeathing the illiterate population with reading and writing skills, warning that the task cannot be shouldered by the supervising ministry alone

“We promise to complement your effort with vigour; we are going to convince our government to give attention and approvals for the recruitment and payment of facilitators allowances above the federal government benchmark of seven thousand five hundred Naira monthly; make provision for learning materials and vehicles for supervising this programme”, he said.

The Executive Director, Adamawa State Agency for Mass Education, Mrs. Charity Buni, in her address, regretted the decay of mass literacy values in the state, calling on government to complement the UNESCO/NMEC partnership, by recruiting new facilitators and establishment of new centres.

In his remarks, the representative of the Executive Director of NMEC, Musa Hassan Gusau, indicated the resolve of the Commission to promote adult literacy in Nigeria, saying much of the problem facing the country can be traced to illiteracy.

He called on governments at all levels, and other stakeholders to complement the efforts of his Commission in empowering the people through education.