Final Report on Implementation of the Revitalizing Adult and Youth Literacy (RAYL) programme has been presented to Nigerian Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, indicating that out of a total of 5,101,719 learners enrolled in the programme between 2013 and 2015 in 146 focused local governments, 4,589,637 of them have been made literate, even as 4,807 facilitators were also graduated.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Abuja, Adamu said the federal government through the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (OSSAPMDG) made available $6.4m for the project, aimed at reducing illiteracy level in Nigeria and to build a critical mass of educators for literacy and life skills acquisition.
He said the ultimate beneficiaries of the project were those who have not been reached, the marginalized or excluded from formal education system, mainly young girls and women, youth and out-of-school children.
The minister commended all stakeholders in the project including UNESCO, agencies of the ministry and non-governmental organisations, stressing that stakeholders should continue to make efforts towards eradicating illiteracy.
In his remarks, Chairman of RAYL Steering Committee, Professor Gidado Tahir reported the establishment and equipping of community learning centres in 13 states, publication on adult and non-formal education, capacity building for NMEC staff and establishment of Non-formal Education Management Information System in NMEC, among others.
He said the challenges encountered in the course of executing the programme included lack of commitment by states to utilize the trained facilitators, poor condition of service for non-formal educators, Boko Haram insurgency in the North and limited political will at all levels.
