Education crisis deadlier than Boko Haram – civil society

A Bauchi-based civil organisation, Better Life Restoration Initiative (BERI) has described education crisis in Northern Nigeria as a menace that is more deadly than Boko Haram insurgency. The NGO disclosed this during the World Literacy Day held in Bauchi. BERI’s Executive Director, Mr Nkem Ogadinma Ogbonna who quoted World Development Indicators lamented that seven out […]

A Bauchi-based civil organisation, Better Life Restoration Initiative (BERI) has described education crisis in Northern Nigeria as a menace that is more deadly than Boko Haram insurgency.

The NGO disclosed this during the World Literacy Day held in Bauchi.

BERI’s Executive Director, Mr Nkem Ogadinma Ogbonna who quoted World Development Indicators lamented that seven out of 10 adults in Northern Nigeria cannot read or write.

He said that the NGO has an objective of eradicating illiteracy in Northern Nigeria as one of its thematic areas adding that they were disturbed by what is bedevilling the country’s education sector.

“The Boko Haram insurgency we battle as a nation today is as a result of lack of education among our teaming youths who are increasingly growing dissatisfied with the system.

“The situation is more precarious in the North; Nigeria cannot achieve political and economic greatness when the sizeable chunk of its population especially girls are not literate," he said.

Ogbonna however commended the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for expanding literacy and numeracy among Out-of-School Children in Bauchi and Sokoto through the Northern Education Initiative Plus (NEI+).

He also commended USAID and Creative International Associates for introducing digital platforms such as Voice SMS, Interactive Voice Response and other Social media strategies aimed at deploying messages that improve social behaviour towards basic literacy in Northern Nigeria.

He however expressed concern over the dearth of educational infrastructure in the country.

He therefore called on government at all levels to increase budgetary allocations to education.

He added that government should place more emphasis towards increasing resources to early grade reading through training and retraining of teachers, which according to him will support school systems in providing quality education.