The United Nations Children Education Fund UNICEF says school enrolment and retention has exponentially increased in Borno state following the introduction of new teaching method at the primary school level.
UNICEF education officer Maiduguri Field Office, Mustapha Shehu stated this in an interview with newsmen shortly after a team from Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) project of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office visited some primary schools in Maiduguri Metropolis and Jere local government.
According to him, the new teaching method of Teaching at the Right Level TaRL programme is a comprehensive approach to addressing the educational challenges posed by Boko Haram insurgency.
Mustapha Shehu said more that two hundred and eighty thousand children have been reached across the state, while two thousand, eight hundred teachers have been trained in the modern skill.
“The learning environment has been made conducive and that has increased the enrolment, attendance and retention of learners. Children in Primary 5 can now read sentences in English, they are performing Arithmetic, basic operation and so on” Shehu said.
Senior Education Adviser, British High Commission in Nigeria PLANE programme, Ian Attfield stressed that the Government of United Kingdom will continue to support education in conflict affected areas to address learning crisis.
Mr Attfield assured that the British government will key into the Education for Renewed Hope agenda of the present administration developed the education sector to have a productive future.
“The schools we’ve seen have been are very good, they have made improvements on the safety and infrastructure, however there is need to improve the learning practice. I am very pleased to see this progress. Attfield remarked.
Head Teacher Mohammed Goni Laminu primary school, Jere local government, Malam Ngari Alhaji Bukar said there have been significant improvement in the literacy and numeracy skills of the pupils since the introduction of Teaching at the Right Level TaRL.
He explained that the method has help remediate for pupils what they have lost at the foundational level and also provide psychosocial support to children that have been traumatised.
