Imo gets Igbo educational materials from USAID

UNITED States Agency for International Development ( USAID) has donated Igbo language educational materials to Imo State Government.

Presenting the materials entitled ‘ Ka Anyi Guo: Igbo Early Grade Reading ( EGR) Teacher Learning Materials ( TLM)’ at Imo State Ministry of Education Secretariat, Owerri, yesterday, the Chief of Party, Northern Education Initiative Plus, Nurudeen Lawal, said the donation was to aid the survivability of Igbo language and cultural heritage.

He disclosed that USAID was committed to providing development materials in Igbo and Yoruba languages due to the serious challenges rocking the present generation in the aspect of reading. Describing the book as a research- based work for school children and teachers, he added: “When a child is being taught in a language he or she understands best, the child will be able to read well.”

Lawal appealed to the Hope Uzodimma- led government to help USAID’S vision and to safeguard the future of the children.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuruka, described the books as rich in content and context.

He assured that the state government, within the 2021/ 2022 academic session, would establish Igbo Language Reading as a compulsory course in the school system and ensure that the listed 303 public schools in state get access to the materials.

Earlier in her address, the Acting Chairman of Imo State Universal Basic Education ( IMSUBEB), Mrs.

Stella Ukagba, said the reading materials would go a long way in breaking the aberration on Igbo language extinction.

“This lends credence to His Excellency’s efforts to revive and promote the teaching of Igbo language and culture in all the educational institutions in the state.

“To fully get the trappings of this project, there should be implementation at the grassroots; that is the primary one to three teachers and the supervisors will need to be trained and retrained to effectively handle this task,” she declared.